The Milky Way is one of my favorite subjects to photograph! It is constantly changing in appearance throughout the year, creating a variety of interesting shooting situations. But figuring out the best time to shoot the Milky Way isn’t always so easy. The rise and set times are constantly changing, and the phase of the moon dramatically affects the Milky Way’s visibility. When you combine all of these factors together with the weather and the time you actually have available, it can be tough to get out and shoot at the best times. Further, if you are planning travel around the Milky Way, it’s useful to have an idea of the overall picture for the year.
With these challenges in mind, each year I sit down and make a list of the best times to shoot the Milky Way for the upcoming season. My intent with this list is to aid in my own travel and trip planning, and you can use it too for that same purpose. Although I’ve applied some scientific rigor to the list below, I’ve also applied a healthy dose of subjectivity too. I’ve also made a few assumptions that may affect how you use the list. All that is to say that some amount of work on your part is still required, as you still need to plan for the conditions in the area you want to shoot. If you need help with this, I suggest taking a look at my article that introduces the subject, or my book that covers it in depth.
2024 looks like it will be a great year to shoot the Milky Way for many people, as some very fun, accessible periods to shoot fall on two major holidays in the US (Fourth of July and Labor Day). I expect lots of people will be outdoors during these times, and it’s a great opportunity to introduce friends and family to the Milky Way. Early season has some promising stretches for panoramas too, and there’s a really intriguing period at the end of August that looks like it could help create some dynamic images in combination with the moon and some good planning. Unfortunately, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower does not align well with shooting the Milky Way, but I think the two long stretches of shooting in August make up for it.
Whether this is your first year with my trip planner or you’ve been following along for a while, there are a couple of important things to know:
The dates I present here are approximate. You always need to confirm your local circumstances with an app like PhotoPills or TPE. Again, my book covers in detail the process of coming up with a plan to shoot the Milky Way.
These dates assume a latitude midway through the United States (I used approximately the 45th parallel), and are probably appropriate for most of the United States, the southern half of Canada, most of Europe, and similar latitudes. If you are in the southern United States (or south of that area in general), you’ll have a little more flexibility in shooting situations. Specifically, the Milky Way tends to rise earlier the further south you go. The opposite is true for the northern parts of the US and Canada, as the Milky Way tends to rise later and the season is a little shorter.
I’ve assigned a completely biased, opinionated, and subjective rating to each set of dates, with ⭐ being an okay time to shoot but not the best, and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ being my picks for the best times to shoot this year. You may disagree completely with my rating system. A ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ requires all or most of: good Milky Way conditions, some moon to light the foreground without washing out the sky, the Milky Way in an interesting configuration, and a reasonably long shooting window. These can be tricky circumstances and may not be for all photographers. Don’t discard dates that I rate a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ or lower as these can be compelling too, especially if you have some experience shooting.
I have included and prioritized dates that feature a rising or setting moon in the opposite sky as the Milky Way. These dates feature a 🌙 emoji in the list. The intent is to use the moon to illuminate your foreground. How good this actually is will depend heavily on your local terrain. For instance, you might have a mountain that blocks the moon on a particular date, rendering the effect moot. Or, you might be in a really light polluted area and the moon just makes it worse. But, if you can make it work, these are going to be the best times to shoot as it provides the most opportunity for a compelling photograph.
I’ve also identified quality panorama opportunities using the 🌌 emoji (that’s the Milky Way emoji!). Panoramas are a lot of fun and catching the entire arch of the Milky Way before sunrise is really worthwhile, but there are times of the year where they are much easier to shoot, and that’s what I’ve attempted to identify here. These dates tend to occur in mid-spring, so keep an eye out for them.
I’ve also included the dates when the Milky Way is alone in the sky, without the moon. These are excellent dates that provide really clear sky imagery but potentially at the expense of an interesting foreground. However, these are still worthwhile times to shoot, and ideally suited for beginners too. The foreground issues can also be mitigated as I talk about extensively in my book.
I’ve made a judgment call on how close the moon should be to the Milky Way before I throw in the towel and exclude a set of dates. If the moon is too close to the Milky Way, it will wash it out. It is possible I haven’t gotten all of these right, and your shoot plans might also require something different, so check local circumstances (are you tired of me repeating this yet? :D).
You can download this entire list as an .ics file to add to the calendar app of your choice. There’s a link at the bottom of the page to do that!
Thanks to everyone that has written to me over the years with comments and suggestions about the trip planner! If you have a question, spot a mistake, or just want to let me know how the trip planner helped plan your session, please let me know!
Here are the dates I picked for this year:
Start
End
Look
Rating
Notes
February 9
February 18
East
⭐/🌙
Welcome to Milky Way Season 2024! This period kicks the season off with the typical early season rise of the Milky Way before dawn. You'll have to get up really early, and you won't have long to shoot, but there's no moon, and it's a good chance to shoot a horizontal, rising Milky Way. The earliest part of this period will be challenging due to the rapidly rising sun and moon, and careful planning throughout this period is required.
February 19
February 20
East
⭐⭐/🌙
This period is much like the first - very early mornings and just a few minutes to shoot the rising Milky Way. However, this period gets a boost from the moon setting as the Milky Way is rising. Carefully attention to the position of these objects - plus good favor from the weather gods - will yield the best results.
March 6
March 16
East
⭐⭐⭐
This period in the middle part of March is an excellent time to shoot a rising Milky Way. The mornings are still early, but at least you'll get a log longer of a window to shoot before the sun rises. There's no moon, so plan accordingly for your foregrounds!
March 17
March 19
East
⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌙
If you can only pick one time to shoot a horizontal Milky Way this season, make it this one. The mornings are still early, but you'll have the benefit of a setting moon just as the Milky Way rising, which makes it possible to get a great foreground with the rising Milky Way. Towards the end of this period might be a little dicey depending on your location, so check your planners carefully, but those that plan well will be rewarded.
April 3
April 13
Southeast
⭐⭐⭐/🌌
This period in early April is the first good opportunity this season to shoot a panorama featuring the Milky Way. Early in this period, the moon follows the Milky Way right as it rises, which can be present a challenge as your shooting time will be short, but as the period goes on the Milky Way is up for a long time before the moon rises.
April 14
April 16
Southeast
⭐⭐⭐/🌙/🌌
This is a really tricky period but could yield some interesting images with the right planning. The moon will set while the Milky Way is up, and then the sun rises. This provides opportunities for both moonlit as well as dark sky images on the same night, but you'll need to carefully check the location you plan to shoot in.
April 30
May 11
Southeast
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌌
This period is my pick to grab a panoramic Milky Way image in 2024. The moon will rise shortly behind the Milky Way early in the period, but later on the Milky Way is up the whole night, giving you ample time to shoot. Early in period moon rises shortly behind MW, but later on the MW is up the whole night without the moon. You'll need to pay attention to your foreground though!
May 12
May 14
Southeast
⭐⭐⭐/🌙/🌌
This period is similar to the previous one, but the moon will be setting just as the Milky Way is visible, providing opportunities for foreground light right as it gets dark. At the end of this short period, the moon will set right around sunrise. The right location and timing could be really productive!
May 28
June 1
South
⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌙
This period marks a transition where the Milky Way goes into mostly a vertical position for good shooting. It will be visible when it gets dark, and the moon will rise soon afterwards. Near the end of the period, the moon rises right before sunrise. Depending on your location, this might wind up being some interesting light, with the moon and sun illuminating the landscape from the east with the Milky Way in the south/southwest.
June 2
June 8
South
⭐⭐⭐
This time period is the first time this season the Milky Way will be up all night with no moon. That's great, but the nights are much shorter so close to the summer solstice, so that's not so great. Still, the new moon in June has always been pretty productive for me in the past, so I like shooting then.
June 9
June 14
South
⭐⭐/🌙
This weird period gives you a short window to shoot, both because of the sun and the moon. The moon will set before sunrise, which gives you a chance to shoot the Milky Way, either with the illumination of the moon or in a dark sky. The nights are short and the shooting window is small, but for some locations, this might prove ideal because of the direction of light from the moon. Later in the period the moon is a little close to the Milky Way, so plan carefully!
June 25
July 2
South
⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌙
By this time, we're starting to get into summer, and hopefully nicer weather to shoot. This period offers the moon rising shortly after it gets dark, but as the period goes on, the moon rises later and later. This gives you an opportunity to shoot dark sky and then with the moon lighting up your foreground, if you plan carefully.
July 3
July 9
Southwest
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks provided by nature! This will be one of the premier periods to shoot the Milky Way this season, due to no moon, warmer nights, and the 4th of July holiday. Expect popular locations to be crowded, so if that's not your thing, find a new spot off the beaten path!
July 10
July 12
Southwest
⭐⭐⭐/🌙
If you're up for some careful planning, this period might be able to deliver for you. The moon will set right as the Milky Way becomes visible, which gives you an opportunity to shoot some illuminated foregrounds with the Milky Way in what will hopefully be warmer temperatures. It's a short period, as later in the period the moon is getting too close to the Milky Way for productive shooting.
July 26
July 31
Southwest
⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌙
This is a really interesting period because of the position of the moon and the Milky Way. The Milky Way will be visible to the southwest when it gets dark, but then the moon will rise not long after it becomes visible, giving you a great chance to get a foreground lit by the moon. You'll need to plan carefully though, especially early in the period as the moon might rise too quickly for your location.
August 1
August 8
Southwest
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summertime, and the living's easy! This is my pick for the best time to shoot the Milky Way this season. There's no moon, the Milky Way is up all night, the nights are long, and August usually has excellent weather. This is a great time to take newcomers out to shoot too, or just observe the Milky Way. The Perseid meteor shower peaks just after the end of this period, so you might see a few early Perseids too (unfortunately the peak this year is not a good time to shoot Milky Way).
August 25
August 31
Southwest
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌙
This period attracted my attention because of the dynamics of the moon and Milky Way and their rise times. The moon will rise not long after the Milky Way is visible, especially early in this period, but as the period goes on, the sky is dark for a long time before the moon rises, giving you the chance to shoot lots of dark sky images before you take advantage of the moonlight. Plus, the nights are long too, giving you lots of time.
September 1
September 8
Southwest
⭐⭐⭐
This is the final period I've picked for this season, and it happens to coincide with the Labor Day holiday! The moon sets right at sunrise, leaving long, dark nights to shoot and enjoy the night sky. The Milky Way core isn't as visible this time of year, but the Milky Way can still be beautiful, and the long times are also welcome. Towards the end of the period the moon gets a little close to the core, but it should be okay for most locations.
If you’d like these as an .ics (iCal) to add to your calendar, fill out the form on this page and you’ll see the download link. You can then import the .ics file into any calendar app of your choice. Usually all it takes is a double click. I’ve added reminders to the events too, so you’ll get a notification to remind you to get out and shoot!
I hope this list is helpful! Please let me know if I’ve missed something or made a mistake, and happy Milky Way season!