If there is anything that makes the photos on this page remarkable, it's because of the poor (from an astronomical point of view) location from which they are taken. Below is a graphic representing the average night sky brightness over central Indiana. The black 'X' is the location of my telescope.

To visually see the Milky Way, I believe you would have to be in one of the yellow shaded areas. That's subjective of course...what defines 'seeing' the Milky Way? To me, 'seeing it' involves feeling it...it's one of those 'the sum is greater than the whole of the parts' sort of deals. Probably better to be in the green areas, out by Shades State Park. There (once the campfires have gone out and you've beaten back the invading raccoon army for the nth time that night) the Milky Way looks like someone dumped a paintbrush deep into the can of white (ok, maybe eggshell) paint and just flicked the brush across the sky. I think it's the most awesome astronomical thing one can see, with or without a telescope. But I was talking about light pollution...

Actually I was talking about the images on this page. They are made possible becase of the advances in the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras that can, to a certain extent, defeat at least some light pollution. HOW they do that is a technical discussion that maybe I'll make a separate page for sometime, THAT they do it is not in doubt. And thus you gentle reader, with a modest investment in equipment, and a somewhat longer investment of your time, can certainly do as well from just about anywhere. Or you can just enjoy my images.

From "The World Atlas of the Artifical Night Sky Brightness", used with permission, http://www.inquinamentoluminoso.it/worldatlas/pages/index.htm

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