You would never see something like that over a major metropolis without also removing "regular" particulate pollution and heat haze. And it would still not look like that to the bare eye. To a camera with a long enough exposure, sure.
In areas with low light pollution and a clear sky it really does look like that. Even without the moon there is plenty of light to walk around without a flashlight and the sky is really breathtaking. Granted, while you do get some color perception things look a little more black and white than those photos and you get a little low light static.
Edit: Though I have noticed some people have really poor night vision so your mileage may vary.
I'm so glad to hear that. I had sort of assumed those breathtaking photos you see of the Milky Way were the result of long exposure tricks.
It sounds kind of silly, but I live in a really terribly light-polluted area where you're lucky to see a dozen or so stars at night if it isn't cloudy, and my dream vacation is just to go out to Arizona or maybe the middle of the ocean, just to see the stars properly for once.
>* And it would still not look like that to the bare eye. To a camera with a long enough exposure, sure.*
Nope, it really DOES look like that (maybe with a little worse color rendition). Try a remote desert. You can see tons of stars clearly, the galactic haze, etc.
But you're right that in a city you'd also have to remove pollution and heat haze.
