Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Meteors and Star Trailing

So I started my day at 3:30am. I had picked my spot, set up my tripod and made all the adjustments to my camera. I put it in bulb mode, set the iso at 100, wb on auto and hooked up the remote trigger that Rick made for me. Next, set my alarm for 3:30am and get my butt to bed!

I did it!!

Got up before the alarm went off, made my coffee and headed outside to get my camera mounted. Flipped the remote to open the shutter and came back in to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the show. I sat on the back porch in the dark for a peaceful morning watching and waiting. After leaving my shutter open for an hour I flipped the remote back to close. Now wait again, see if you take a 60 minute shot you have to wait that long for the shutter to fully close and walla....... my star trails and meteor shower. The moon was not cooperating as it was pretty bright and the fog was rolling in pretty fast so not a great shot. Tonight I should do better. The brightest streak down in the lower right hand corner may be a meteor but again it could be just a bright star. I will shoot near the barn tonight.

I copied this from an article on Yahoo News. Full article here - http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090811/sc_space/strongmeteorshowerexpectedtonight

Viewing tips
The best location is far from city and suburban lights. Ideally, find a structure, mountain or tree to block the moon. Then scan as much of the sky as possible. The meteors can appear anywhere, heading in any direction. If you trace their paths backward, they'll all point to the constellation Perseus.
People in locations where any chill might occur should dress warmer than they think necessary to allow for prolonged viewing.
Seasoned skywatchers advise using a blanket or lounge chair for comfort, so you can lie back and look up for long periods. Allow at least 15 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the darkness. Then expect meteors to be sporadic: You might see two in a row, or several minutes could go by between shooting stars.
Avid meteor watchers might want to try scanning the northeastern horizon from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. local time (your local time, wherever you are) for Perseids that graze the horizon.
"Earthgrazers are meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond," Cooke explained. "They are long, slow and colorful – among the most beautiful of meteors." He notes that an hour of watching may net only a few of these at most, but seeing even one can make the whole night worthwhile.

Yes I will be back at it tonight, I think I will go for a shot from 10-11. That means a late night tomorrow.

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