By WidhibekPublished April 4, 2017 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com Early in learning Milky Way photography, I believed it required complete darkness—mountains, beaches, or countryside. Those outside Java sometimes enjoy Milky Way from their front yards. But surprisingly, on clear nights, you can photograph Milky Way from home too. The more I shoot Milky Way, the…

By WidhibekPublished June 23, 2015 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com Monday afternoon, still somewhat sleepy, I woke to a WhatsApp notification. “Bek.. Tonight we’re heading to Tawangmangu for a photography session, want to join?” Marsono messaged, adding, “We’re going by car, so just sleep during the trip.” I replied that I had just come back from…

By WidhibekPublished May 21, 2015 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com On May 20, 2015, stars dotted the night sky. The silhouette of Mount Merapi stood proudly before us. A streak of white mist resembling fog stretched across the sky. Eagerly, I captured the Milky Way arching above on my tripod-mounted camera. It was a moment of…

By WidhibekPublished April 20, 2015 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com Throughout the day, weather remained unchanged—fog blanketed Cemoro Lawang village. Not much impact though; after lunch, activities were resting after last night’s all-nighter. Evening unchanged. Snacking biscuits while awaiting sunset from a garden corner, but dominant clouds turned it gray. Around 7 PM during dinner, fog…

By WidhibekPublished October 11, 2021 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com I never seem to get bored visiting Selo, nestled between Mount Merapi and Merbabu. There’s always something captivating to capture. Fortunately, it’s not far from home—usually just over an hour without heavy traffic. Yesterday, with plans to pick up a lens in Boyolali, I decided to…

By WidhibekPublished November 2, 2013 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com My love affair with the Milky Way began during the 2010 Mount Semeru expedition—my first climb after a long hiatus from summiting mountains. (Full Semeru trip stories in three Semeru ebooks here.) By then, I’d owned a Canon 450D DSLR for about a year. The main…

By WidhibekPublished September 10, 2021 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com Mount Merapi stands silently wrapped in twinkling stars. Occasionally, streaks of light trace across the sky. A long white line stretches almost perpendicular to Merapi’s silhouette, forming a pillar guarding the heavens. Fortunately, no fog appeared tonight—the usual culprit during mountain hunts. Vehicle lights pass by,…

By WidhibekPublished June 1, 2017 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com The Milky Way stretches over Mount Merapi, nearly perpendicular—a pillar of light in the night sky. Just a few hours earlier, we almost gave up hope. Before arriving at Selo, rain greeted our journey. Pausing at a corner angkringan in Selo, the rain intensified. We thought…

By WidhibekPublished September 2, 2020 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com “Is the location busy?” I asked, wanting to make sure our Milky Way shoot at Krisak Bridge wouldn’t be interrupted by lots of passing motorcycles. “It’s quiet, I was there recently,” replied Dwi “Kebo.” Perfect! We planned a Milky Way hunt there soon. For mid-August, the…

By WidhibekPublished July 1, 2017 | Adapted for NightSkyIndonesia.com Dieng that afternoon was unfriendly. Since 3 PM, light rain had blanketed the Dieng valley. Thin fog hung low, completely obscuring what should have been a starry sky. Late June 2017 clearly wasn’t ideal for Dieng Milky Way hunting. This Dieng trip was brief—just one night…