My whole week of astro shots got ruined by a single streetlight

I drove all the way out to Joshua Tree last week, set up my gear for a 5-night run to catch the Milky Way core, and on night three the park installed a new, super bright sodium vapor light in the parking lot. It washed out every single 3-minute exposure I tried after that, turning what should have been deep space into an orange haze. Has anyone else had a prime dark sky spot suddenly ruined like this, and did you find a new place?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_ramirez3d ago

My buddy lost his favorite canyon spot to a security light on a new cell tower. He just had to scout further out, which sucked.

graceprice2d ago

That's the worst. Light pollution ruins everything.