Take Pixel 4 and go to Nobeyama in autumn to take a starry sky

2019-12-08

0 25 5 minutes read

When I was watching the Pixel 4 just arrived in the usual afternoon of work, I stood up suddenly and said, “Tonight, I ’m going to take a photo of the starry sky.” A colleague sitting next to me smiled, saying, “I sometimes say good things.” This was Betelgeuse, Sirius, Procion, and the big triangle of winter.

I tried shooting autumn “ the Milky Way '' with Pixel 4
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)

I wanted to see the power of Pixel 4 starry sky shooting with my own eyes

Nobeyama is a major starry sky shooting spot in the Kanto area. JR Nobeyama Station is a landmark of the shooting location, also known as the JR highest point station located at an altitude of 1345 meters. Although it is an environment surrounded by high mountains and high mountains that are not susceptible to light pollution caused by city lights, you can go by train, and you can also make a one-day itinerary by going to and from the highway IC nearby.

The area around Nobeyama Station is famous for its beautiful starry sky

This photo spot is around JR Nobeyama Station. The shooting date is from October 31 to early November 1st, although it is autumn in time, but winter stars are mainly due to late shooting time. The weather on the day was fine, but there was some moisture in the rain so far. As for the moon age, since the latest new moon is October 28, there is only a little influence of moonlight. If you have a single eye, I would like you to think of an environment where you can shoot the Milky Way beautifully.

Let ’s take a look at the photos that were actually taken with Pixel 4.

Taken at the parking lot at JR Nobeyama Station. Unfortunately, the station building was under construction, and the lights for night construction were drastically lit, so the stars disappeared. Still, you can shoot quite a few stars
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This is also taken at the parking lot at JR Nobeyama Station. Although it is a full starry sky, the Milky Way is not visible. Because the influence of construction lighting is great, I decided to move to the forest a little more
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Taken in the forest a little away from the station. It looks at the winter big triangle and the Orion, centering on the autumnal Milky Way. The Orion Nebula is clearly visible
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)

I photographed Taurus and the Pleiades (Subaru). The success of Pleiades' shooting has increased considerably
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)

The Milky Way runs through the center vertically. I took a picture of Pleiades in the upper right, trees in the upper left, electric wires in the lower right
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Taken with Orion in the center
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Photographed with Pleiades star cluster (Subaru) in the center
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I tried to enlarge the Pleiades cluster (Subaru)

I tried to enlarge the Orion Nebula

Like the Milky Way flowing sideways
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(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)
A photo taken with the forest in the background. Pixel 4 starry sky photography is revolutionary. You can shoot with the naked eye the feeling that the stars are falling
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Preparing to shoot the starry sky with Pixel 4's Astronomical Photo Function

Since Pixel 4 debuted with “ night view mode '' with “ astrophotography function '' newly installed on October 24, I wanted to shoot as soon as possible, but as you know, bad weather continues As a result, it was hard to get the opportunity.

The seasons when the Milky Way can be observed in Japan are summer, autumn and winter. The moon is too bright and obstructs the observation, so I would like to aim for a new moon without moonlight or a dark period of about 3 days before and after. This time I shot the Milky Way in autumn and winter. In summer, the humidity is high and it tends to be dredged, so it's not suitable for shooting. You can see the Milky Way with a strong presence. Not only the moon in the sky, but also the city lights are enemies. Like Nobeyama this time, I want to find a place that is as high as possible and away from the city.

Just before leaving for Nobeyama, I took a picture of the night sky in a residential area on the outskirts of Tokyo. In the first place, the city lights are too strong and the sky turns white.
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Another one in the suburbs of Tokyo. Moved to a dark place near the forest park, compared to the whole city. The starry sky can't be taken, but it's too bright
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)

A photo taken in the same suburb of Tokyo with a few conditions. In the middle of the night, some of the city lights disappeared, and the atmosphere was getting wet occasionally. Compared to Nobeyama, you can take a decent number of stars.
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)

I wrote NG for the shooting of the Milky Way, but the starlit sky that includes the moonlit clouds and the ground in the composition is also beautiful, so if the purpose is not the Milky Way or nebula, it is not necessary to aim only for the new moon
(When viewing on a computer, you can view the full-size image from this link)

If you can determine the shooting location, weather, age, etc., then if you have Pixel 4 and a suitable tripod, you can shoot the same picture as this time just by pressing the shutter without worrying about camera settings etc. . To be honest, it's too easy compared to the previous shooting of the starry sky.

This time, the only photography equipment is Pixel 4 and a small tripod. The settings can also be taken with the camera fully automatic.

However, I was worried about the fact that image processing takes place every time I shoot, but that time is still long. It was stressful to wait about 4 minutes every time I took a photo. Because of the problem of image processing load, if the smartphone specs improve, this time will become shorter. I'm really looking forward to the future when I think I can take a picture of the starry sky like taking a snapshot.

Set the Pixel 4 camera to “Night view mode”, fix the main unit with a tripod, and if the scene is dark enough, the screen will display “Astronomy Photo ON”. If you release the shutter in this state, you can shoot the starry sky