Leonid Meteor Shower, or Bust

kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
edited November 18, 2009 in Landscapes
I spent four hours last night on top of a freezing cold mountain on a mission to get some photos of the Leonid Meteor Shower.

I started off by taking a few snapshots of my surroundings.
716549868_weqCi-L.jpg

It turned out there was a lot of light pollution from town which was to the north. I opted to turn my camera upwards and skimmed the tops of some trees right near me.

I set an interval timer to take 2 minute exposures and let it run for 2 hours and 20 minutes. I slept during some of that time, but still saw around 20 meteors. It looked like many of them crossed the camera's path, so I was feeling very good about that.

Around 2:30 AM it seemed like the meteors petered out, so I broke down my setup and couldn't resist the urge to chimp my shots to see my meteors. I immediately saw this!

716548000_JiJhi-L-1.jpg
Imagine my disappointment when I looked more closely and realized it was an airplane. :bluduh 4 hours, tons of meteors seen, and yet not a one made it into any of my images. Unfreakinbelievable. :pissed


So what else to do with 70 images of the same scene at 2 minute intervals but stack them. :wow
716549415_zXNaY-XL-1.jpg

Better luck next time I guess. Thanks for lookin'!
Cheers,
-joel
Moderator of Landscapes forum
Link to my Smugmug site

Comments

  • CuongCuong Registered Users Posts: 1,508 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    That stacked image is really cool.thumb.gif

    Cuong
    "She Was a Little Taste of Heaven – And a One-Way Ticket to Hell!" - Max Phillips
  • QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    lol..oh man! cool stack anyway
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  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    Cuong wrote:
    That stacked image is really cool.thumb.gif

    Cuong
    Thank, Cuong! It would have been even cooler if I'd gotten the north star somewhat near a rule-of-thirds intersection. 11doh.gif

    Cheers,
    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    Qarik wrote:
    lol..oh man! cool stack anyway
    Thanks! :D

    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • schmooschmoo Registered Users Posts: 8,468 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    Joel you're too hard on yourself! I'm not sure what the secret is to catching meteors on camera but you could have told us that the airplane was one, and I think a lot of us would have believed you. lol3.gif

    The stack is really, really awesome.
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  • ThwackThwack Registered Users Posts: 487 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    The stacked shot is great and the other images are also cool. clap.gif
  • Sexy6ChickSexy6Chick Registered Users Posts: 948 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    Bravo on the stacked shot! Why are the meteor showers always at like 2 in the morning??
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  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    :s85


    that was no airplane....
    Aaron Nelson
  • anwmn1anwmn1 Registered Users Posts: 3,469 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    rolleyes1.gif

    I thought about staying up for this. Then I thought better of it. deal.gif

    Really like that first shot and the stacked shot. Lemonade out of Lemons. thumb.gif
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  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    schmoo wrote:
    Joel you're too hard on yourself! I'm not sure what the secret is to catching meteors on camera but you could have told us that the airplane was one, and I think a lot of us would have believed you. lol3.gif

    The stack is really, really awesome.

    Hey Schmoo, thanks! Not sure what the secret is to shooting meteors. Heck, I've gotten them by accident before. But just TRY to get one little meteor, even in the height of a "meteor shower", and fuggettabouddit. rolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gif

    Cheers,
    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    Thwack wrote:
    The stacked shot is great and the other images are also cool. clap.gif

    Thanks, Thwack!! thumb.gif

    Cheers,
    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    Sexy6Chick wrote:
    Bravo on the stacked shot! Why are the meteor showers always at like 2 in the morning??

    Thanks, Natalie! I wouldn't mind the 2:00AM business if I could actually just photograph one of the stupid things. :bash

    Oh. sorry. rolleyes1.gif

    Cheers,
    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    AaronNelson wrote:
    :s85


    that was no airplane....
    lol3.gif
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
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  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    anwmn1 wrote:
    rolleyes1.gif

    I thought about staying up for this. Then I thought better of it. deal.gif

    Really like that first shot and the stacked shot. Lemonade out of Lemons. thumb.gif

    Thank you, sir! Yes, that's true. Although this was more like frozen lemonade. rolleyes1.gif

    Cheers,
    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • rainbowrainbow Registered Users Posts: 2,765 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    That is an awesome stacked shot. Nice that you got a long meteor, too.

    I tried for a meteor in the Perseid shower in August and only got an airplane :(: . It's trail looked like morse code...
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator
    edited November 17, 2009
    rainbow wrote:
    That is an awesome stacked shot. Nice that you got a long meteor, too.

    I tried for a meteor in the Perseid shower in August and only got an airplane :(: . It's trail looked like morse code...

    Thanks, Rainbow! I appreciate the comment, but you didn't read carefully enough. Sadly, that is a plane. :cry

    Cheers,
    -joel
    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • rainbowrainbow Registered Users Posts: 2,765 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    kdog wrote:
    Thanks, Rainbow! I appreciate the comment, but you didn't read carefully enough. Sadly, that is a plane. :cry

    Cheers,
    -joel

    Just reread it. If it's any consolation, your airplane is far better than my airplane. But then again, I wasn't out there at 2 AM on a cold night...
  • dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited November 17, 2009
    schmoo wrote:
    Joel you're too hard on yourself! I'm not sure what the secret is to catching meteors on camera but you could have told us that the airplane was one, and I think a lot of us would have believed you. lol3.gif

    The stack is really, really awesome.

    Absolutely. Great shots Joel. We have way too much light pollution down here to see anything close to what you got. Great job clap.gifclap.gif

    How did you stack them?
    Dan
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  • rookieshooterrookieshooter Registered Users Posts: 539 Major grins
    edited November 18, 2009
    That stacked shot eek7.gif
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