I am pretty sure it is a long camera exposure yo get the Milky Way, but you need to also be away from city lights.
It reminds me of another APOD a few years back “kind” of similar- the night sky, a waterfall, and maybe a comet in the sky, too. Maybe I’m wrong. Does anyone remember something like that?
#6 and 7
With a digital camera you can view an image like this in 20 to 30 seconds. My Canon EOS R6 you can see the color of the Orion nebula in the viewscreen.
You would need a big telescope for that for your eye.
Sample photos:
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/how-to-photograph-the-milky-way.html