Drove out to Death Valley in January and the Milky Way shot I got at Mesquite Dunes blew my mind

Iris Hall · 2026-09-19T06:20:03.667227+00:00

I finally made the 4 hour drive from Vegas to Death Valley on January 14th for the new moon, and I set up my tripod at the Mesquite Flat Dunes around 2am. What got me was how the sand glowed in the starlight and I could see the Milky Way core with my bare eyes, no filter needed. I shot 20 frames at 15 seconds each, f/2.8, ISO 3200 and stacked them the next day. Has anyone else shot the dunes out there, and did you have trouble with wind kicking up sand onto your lens?

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Drove out to Death Valley in January and the Milky Way shot I got at Mesquite Dunes blew my mind | Astronomy Photos - Vivisector