Night sky jewel in region’s crown

The Pilbara does a lot of things big — big industry, big stations and big personalities — but there is one Pilbara attraction which has the whole region well and truly trumped when it comes to size.

Whether you are sitting on the beach at Hearson’s Cove, a dusty road between towns or in a tent at one of our national parks, one can’t help but be taken aback by the beauty of the Pilbara night sky.

With minimal light pollution, noise and sea haze, the Pilbara is a haven for amateur stargazers, astronomers and night-sky photography enthusiasts.

Remtrek Astronomy owner Phill Witt has run stargazing tours from [|the] Karijini Eco Retreat since 2007 and said the Pilbara night sky had “absolutely mind-blowing” clarity.

“When you look through high-powered telescopes, you can’t even begin to imagine what crosses our paths above our heads every night,” he said.

“Over the years, probably the most awe-inspiring object has been the Jewel Box, up near the Southern Cross.

“We basically see meteors every night. Some nights are more active than others, but that always generates a lot of discussion.”

Hesaid for most of the people who came on his tours, it was the first time they had used a telescope.

Mr Witt’s first visit to the Pilbara in 1985 left a lasting impression, leading him to come back time and time again.

“When the opportunity presented itself to do astronomy nights at the eco retreat, well, you don’t pass up an opportunity like that,” he said.

Remtrek Astronomy tours run for about two hours every night during the tourist season, departing from the Karijini Eco Retreat at 7pm.

For Newman resident Kevin Mitchell, photographing the stars in the Pilbara has been a passion for the past two years.

“I live in a fantastic place called the Pilbara and it just gets me in amongst everything with old mate (the Milky Way) just beaming down on you,” he said.

Mr Mitchell said there were several things photographers needed to do to get the most out of their night shots, starting with getting a sturdy tripod.

“You need to have your camera lens on the lowest f-stop possible — if it can go down to 1.8 or 2.8, that is ideal,” he said.

“A 30-second shutter is a good night shot, after 30 seconds is when you get the star streaks.

“A high ISO around 1600 is %also good for sucking in enough light.”

Mr Mitchell said there were a few other tricks photographers could use to enhance their shots.

“Find a great composition, then use a very high-powered torch to focus on a tree,” he said.

“Put the camera on auto and half press the shutter so it focuses on the tree, then lock your camera into manual and don’t touch it.

“You can also use bulb mode. It’s all manual so you can put your ISO up high, set up and have no light whatsoever, then just push the button.”

Mr Mitchell said for those feeling creative, torches to light up the foreground, steel wool and orbs made out of torch on a rope, could be added to 30-second shots.