Snapper’s stunning space shot captures majesty of Milky Way

A stunning view of the Milky Way was taken by a local photographer who hopes to get more people interested in fascinating astro-shots.

Stewart Gray from Bellshill took a trip up to Rannoch Moor in the Highlands, before Covid restrictions were tightened, to capture the galaxy.

The beautiful photo even shows the planet Mars, which is the bright dot pictured on the right-hand side of the photo.

Stewart, 26, says the process of capturing such an elaborate picture is complex but he is loving learning new things and bringing joy to people through his work.

He told the Advertiser: “I’ve caught a few Milky Way shots before so I have an idea of what I’m going for. You need to have specific conditions so through experience I know what I’m looking for.

“So for the Milky Way shot, you need a clear night and I always choose to shoot on the night of a full moon because there’s less light pollution from the moon.

“It’s quite hard to get the shot, there’s a certain technical aspect that you do in the editing process and the shooting process.

“Rather than just plotting one picture, you’re maybe taking between 25 and 35 individual pictures. And because of the earth’s rotation, the Milky Way and everything is moving all about, so you’re getting things like star trails and need to track the shot using specialist equipment like a star tracker. It fits onto your tripod and ties in with the earth’s rotation.”

Now working on an astronomy project with his photography, Stewart plans on taking more pictures of the wonders of space in the night sky which many of his followers have already enjoyed.

He added: “I had been up there helping some mates out with photoshoots and things like that and set it up then.

“I’ve actually got a wee project going just now, trying to catch a lot of the astro stuff locally. I’ve been investing in some equipment and different things to help with the astro photos.

“I don’t see an awful lot of astro photos taken locally, so I do reckon I could get some good ones.

“I see a lot of people taking joy from sitting at home looking at photos and seeing nice pictures of Scotland online so it’s nice to have that as my own niche.

“The more I’m doing it I’m learning more technical aspects and different techniques so all knowledge is good knowledge I believe.”