16/07/2026
Chasing the Core: A 10/10 Morning Above the Clouds
This morning I captured one of the most demanding images I've ever planned and photographed. A true 10/10. One of those rare mornings when nature hands you the exact combination of conditions needed to photograph the Milky Way above Cape Town.
As Milky Way season progresses, the galactic core shifts across the sky. That leaves only a handful of days each month when it aligns perfectly over a specific location. But the sky isn't the only thing you're racing against. The moon has its own say in things. Moonlight is bright enough to drown out the faint glow of the galaxy, so you're really only in business for a few nights around new moon, when the sky goes properly dark. Line that up with the galactic core's brief window each month, and suddenly you're down to just a handful of nights a year where the conditions even have a chance of working.
BUT, even when all of that aligns, there's still one obstacle left. The biggest one.
The city below.
Unlike nature, Cape Town doesn't switch off. City glow, and yes, Table Mountain's own floodlights, overwhelm the faint light of the galaxy as the core drops toward the horizon. It's the single hardest thing to work around in this composition.
So how do you beat it? In theory, it's simple: you wait. Sometimes for years.
You wait for a thick bank of fog to roll in and blanket the city's light pollution at exactly the right moment. Then that fog needs to coincide with the new moon. And the correct seasonal position of the galactic core. And the one precise shooting location that makes it all work (thank you, PhotoPills).
This morning, at 03:57, standing on the Table Mountain Contour Path, every piece of that puzzle fell into place at once, including the unexpected bonus of a meteor streaking through the frame.
Years of watching forecasts. Years of missed windows. One morning where it all lined up.
If you've ever tried photographing the Milky Way above Cape Town, you know exactly what it takes to get an image like this. Special thanks to and for chasing the dream with me!
