How to shoot the Milky Way
Celestial kit 1
You can capture beautiful astro images with a Nikon D3500, but there are some basic pieces of kit that will make the whole process easier. A tripod is crucial, since you’ll be shooting long exposures of 15 to 30 seconds. A remote shutter release wouldn’t go amiss either, as well as a lens with a wide aperture (f/2.8 or faster).
Camera settings 4
The Earth’s rotation can blur stars during super-long exposures. A good rule of thumb to is to keep your shutter speed to less than 30 seconds. The longer your lens, the shorter your shutter speed must be, so if a 30-second exposure is too dark, increase your ISO to prevent blur. Between ISO3200 and 6400 is the sweet spot.
Milky Way season 2
The most attractive part of the Milky Way is known as the core, but you can only shoot it at certain times of year, depending on your location: May to September in the northern hemisphere, April to September in the southern hemisphere. These are approximations, specified for shooting at reasonable hours, roughly 6pm-12am.
Light pollution 3
Illuminated settlements produce light pollution, so the further away you are, the clearer the night sky. Ideally, you want the moon to be absent, so you’ll need to work before moonrise or after moonset, or as close to a new moon (the invisible phase) as possible. You can see the moon phase on Google – and plan up to a year in advance!
Focus manually 5
Switch to manual focus and pick the brightest star/planet in the sky or a bright light in the far distance for your focus point. Use Live View to zoom so you can focus as accurately as possible. Practise operating your camera in the dark and it will become second nature. Now simply fire the shutter.