This was my destination for an evening of astrophotography as the favorite "go to" location, The Last Chance Desert, was slated for clouds. The forecast for the western desert was clear skies, breezy and 63F for the low. The official name of this location is IBEX Hardpan back country airstrip or Tule Valley Hardpan Strip which is managed by the BLM- Bureau of Land Management.

The foreground shows the cracked clay dry lake bed which is by nature pancake flat making for a perfect airstrip for back country pilots and astrophotographers. The island in the middle is named President Princess Island. The campers on the right side of the island give a sense of scale to the limestone hill. The openness of the terrain makes for very windy and dusty conditions which I experienced from 10 PM right up to 3 AM when I packed up the cameras and called it a night. I'll share a few Milky Way images after post processing the best ones.

Google Pixel 4 XL cell phone

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