It ain't gonna happen

The sky was clear last night, and it wasn't too cold, so I figured it would be a good time for some star photography. I went out at about 9:30 to see if the Milky Way was up yet. Mmmmm, nope.

I checked again about two hours later. Mmmmm, maybe. Is that a slightly brighter band over there. The camera should be able to see what I can't. The camera said, "No, that's not the Milky Way. You're imagining things."

So I experimented with other possible shots. Nothing was catching my fancy. However, this shot featuring Mark & Donna's RV and shade cloth lit by their solar patio lights is a little interesting. I hadn't expected that much air traffic in that patch of sky during the same 25 seconds. A lot of planes in and out of Phoenix, LA and San Diego.

Back in the van, I got on the web to find out what time the Milky Way would be visible. Going out at three or four o'clock might not be too bad. I'd done it before. But, alas, given the time of year, the tilt of the earth and all that, the Milky Way would only be "up" during daylight hours. Maybe it's nature's way of saying, "Don't be an idiot, freezing your ass off in the middle of the night just to get a photo. Go back to your warm, comfortable bed." Even if nature wasn't saying that, it's what I did.