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The Perseid meteor shower (Peak12-13 Aug)
Bodwick
Registered Users Posts: 396 Major grins
Photographing the Perseid meteor shower (Peak12-13 Aug)
How to find the meteors and how to shoot them......
Made as simple as possible (I hope) With apologies for rambling, over simplification or over complex mumblings…..
There is the chance of a very good show of meteors tomorrow night (Fri) into Sat. morning in the UK and Sat13th through Sun14th morning in the USA.(But this goes on for two weeks if you miss the main event)
An article…
http://skyandtelescope.com/aboutsky/pressreleases/article_680_1.asp
The waxing crescent moon sets at 1am and if the weather is clear (slim chance in the UK as usual) it may be a great show with a huge number of meteors and possible fireballs (Well anything’s possible)…
So what about trying to catch some action on your camera.
I’ll try to keep this simple and as easy as possible to follow (It is very simple, I promise). There are, I’m sure, loads of ways to catch this event and this is just that I am trying (Photographing Stars without star trail). Try a search for a huge amount of info on Astro photography…
I’m no expert but this is the simplest way I can think of to explain what I’ll be trying (subject to weather) Its very easy……..
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT PLACE TO LOOK
Find North
Use a compass if you can’t find North from the stars.
To find North from the stars look for the Plough (Ursa Major) it looks like a pot with a handle. Look along the handle to the pot take the two stars at the end of the pot and draw a line upwards until you see the first BRIGHT star you come to. That’s the North Star ( Polaris)
So your looking North at the North Star and over your right shoulder is East.
Just gazing from the Plough to the North Star and keep going the same distance you will see a big W shape in the sky (Cassiopeia).
To Draw a W with a pen you go down up down up OK… So go down the W then up the first middle line and stop... Draw a line back down the way you just came(Second line) and keep going/looking a bit further than the width of Cassiopeia). You are now looking at (Perseus)
You don’t want to look directly into this area. The meteors radiate outwards from this point so look back towards the W or to the area surrounding (Perseus) there is (Andromeda) below the W and to the right of (Perseus). Or below (Perseus) there is the (Pleiades)….
Ok you’ve found the right place to look…it’s a big area so just gaze into the area let your eyes adjust to the dark sit down and relax….Your not star watching, rather just waiting and watching the area, so don’t fixate on stars..
SETUP YOUR STUFF
Set up your tripod and set your camera on top. Get organised. A small torch with a red lens helps keep your night vision. Use anything thin/red taped over the torch.
I’ll be trying to get a shot of a meteor crossing the frame from top left to bottom right corner. So in front of us we have a view of the sky that is making sense with a bearing on (Perseus) as a centre from which the meteors radiate towards the surrounding constellations and towards Earth.
I’ll pick the W (Cassiopeia) as we know where this is, don’t we!!, using the same method as used to find (Perseus) I’ll point the left side of the frame down so its pointed towards (Perseus) with the W in the frame as a reference point for the future.
If luck goes my way a meteor will cross so the pic shows a streak of light from top left to bottom right of the image.
So I’m pointing the top left of the frame towards the source of the meteors.
You may want a wide side on view which increases the chance of a ‘hit’ within frame. If you pointed the top of a portrait at the source of the meteors its much more narrow than the wide side ok…Your choice how to frame the shot.
Maximum Exposure Time Without Star Trail
http://www.atmsite.org/contrib/Tasso/formulae/
I’m going for 24mm on full frame 35mm using the formula T = (1000/F) where T is the maximum exposure time in seconds without a star and F is the focal length of the lens in mm
So 1000/24 = 41.666 or simply 40 seconds exposure at f2.8 ISO400
I shot this a while ago but it shows a rough example of what I’m looking for(Just missing a huge fireball across the frame)
I’d guess that if your camera is say a 15mm equivalent in 35mm then that’s what you work the calculation out as e.g. 1000/15 = 66.66 sec’s or just 60 sec’s to keep things simple.. I’m on 35mm so I’m guessing here……
You could substitute 1000 for 600 or 200 if you want more and more accurate pic’s or down to T = (1397/F) as mentioned as a starting point on the formula page. I find it leaves star trails that are just a fraction too long. Stick with T=1000/F as it works for star trail free images.
(I was going to talk star trail as another option but this is starting to go on. Try playing with the formula if you want to go this route.)
Don’t forget to find the right place to view from. Dark as possible. Looking North or East or slightly East or North of same.eg NNE.....
Use a release cable and/or a self timer…..
Enjoy the show and don’t get too tied into the photography. Just try to get into a relaxed mode of just shooting away without fussing about the camera…..
Enough of my ramblings I’ll re-read this and adjust any mumbling rubbish later but I hope it makes sense and helps someone catch a shot of what may be a spectacular meteor show…
Bod…..
How to find the meteors and how to shoot them......
Made as simple as possible (I hope) With apologies for rambling, over simplification or over complex mumblings…..
There is the chance of a very good show of meteors tomorrow night (Fri) into Sat. morning in the UK and Sat13th through Sun14th morning in the USA.(But this goes on for two weeks if you miss the main event)
An article…
http://skyandtelescope.com/aboutsky/pressreleases/article_680_1.asp
The waxing crescent moon sets at 1am and if the weather is clear (slim chance in the UK as usual) it may be a great show with a huge number of meteors and possible fireballs (Well anything’s possible)…
So what about trying to catch some action on your camera.
I’ll try to keep this simple and as easy as possible to follow (It is very simple, I promise). There are, I’m sure, loads of ways to catch this event and this is just that I am trying (Photographing Stars without star trail). Try a search for a huge amount of info on Astro photography…
I’m no expert but this is the simplest way I can think of to explain what I’ll be trying (subject to weather) Its very easy……..
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT PLACE TO LOOK
Find North
Use a compass if you can’t find North from the stars.
To find North from the stars look for the Plough (Ursa Major) it looks like a pot with a handle. Look along the handle to the pot take the two stars at the end of the pot and draw a line upwards until you see the first BRIGHT star you come to. That’s the North Star ( Polaris)
So your looking North at the North Star and over your right shoulder is East.
Just gazing from the Plough to the North Star and keep going the same distance you will see a big W shape in the sky (Cassiopeia).
To Draw a W with a pen you go down up down up OK… So go down the W then up the first middle line and stop... Draw a line back down the way you just came(Second line) and keep going/looking a bit further than the width of Cassiopeia). You are now looking at (Perseus)
You don’t want to look directly into this area. The meteors radiate outwards from this point so look back towards the W or to the area surrounding (Perseus) there is (Andromeda) below the W and to the right of (Perseus). Or below (Perseus) there is the (Pleiades)….
Ok you’ve found the right place to look…it’s a big area so just gaze into the area let your eyes adjust to the dark sit down and relax….Your not star watching, rather just waiting and watching the area, so don’t fixate on stars..
SETUP YOUR STUFF
Set up your tripod and set your camera on top. Get organised. A small torch with a red lens helps keep your night vision. Use anything thin/red taped over the torch.
I’ll be trying to get a shot of a meteor crossing the frame from top left to bottom right corner. So in front of us we have a view of the sky that is making sense with a bearing on (Perseus) as a centre from which the meteors radiate towards the surrounding constellations and towards Earth.
I’ll pick the W (Cassiopeia) as we know where this is, don’t we!!, using the same method as used to find (Perseus) I’ll point the left side of the frame down so its pointed towards (Perseus) with the W in the frame as a reference point for the future.
If luck goes my way a meteor will cross so the pic shows a streak of light from top left to bottom right of the image.
So I’m pointing the top left of the frame towards the source of the meteors.
You may want a wide side on view which increases the chance of a ‘hit’ within frame. If you pointed the top of a portrait at the source of the meteors its much more narrow than the wide side ok…Your choice how to frame the shot.
Maximum Exposure Time Without Star Trail
http://www.atmsite.org/contrib/Tasso/formulae/
I’m going for 24mm on full frame 35mm using the formula T = (1000/F) where T is the maximum exposure time in seconds without a star and F is the focal length of the lens in mm
So 1000/24 = 41.666 or simply 40 seconds exposure at f2.8 ISO400
I shot this a while ago but it shows a rough example of what I’m looking for(Just missing a huge fireball across the frame)
I’d guess that if your camera is say a 15mm equivalent in 35mm then that’s what you work the calculation out as e.g. 1000/15 = 66.66 sec’s or just 60 sec’s to keep things simple.. I’m on 35mm so I’m guessing here……
You could substitute 1000 for 600 or 200 if you want more and more accurate pic’s or down to T = (1397/F) as mentioned as a starting point on the formula page. I find it leaves star trails that are just a fraction too long. Stick with T=1000/F as it works for star trail free images.
(I was going to talk star trail as another option but this is starting to go on. Try playing with the formula if you want to go this route.)
Don’t forget to find the right place to view from. Dark as possible. Looking North or East or slightly East or North of same.eg NNE.....
Use a release cable and/or a self timer…..
Enjoy the show and don’t get too tied into the photography. Just try to get into a relaxed mode of just shooting away without fussing about the camera…..
Enough of my ramblings I’ll re-read this and adjust any mumbling rubbish later but I hope it makes sense and helps someone catch a shot of what may be a spectacular meteor show…
Bod…..
"The important thing is to just take the picture with the lens you have when the picture happens."
Jerry Lodriguss - Sports Photographer
Reporters sans frontières
Jerry Lodriguss - Sports Photographer
Reporters sans frontières
0
Comments
Go here for a skymap - which will help you find Ursa Major (Big Dipper/Plough), Cassiopeia, and Perseus:
http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html
I'll add some tidbits for controlling star trails (if that is what you are after).
- Remember that the Earth's axis points towards the north star (Polaris), and of course that the Earth spins on this axis. Now, 90 degrees away from Polaris is the Celestial Equator. Go ahead, make a big right angle with your arms...one pointing at Polaris and the other at a 90 degree angle due south. If you trace your arm from East to West on that 90 deg mark...you are tracing the celestial equator. Why is that important??? Stars that are closer to the celestial equator trail more than stars near the north star (Polaris)
- stars will trail quicker if you use a telefoto or zoom lens. Why? You are going from a wide field to a narrower magnified field...the earth's motion becomes more apparent and visible.
- when you do any kind of astrophotography, you need a somewhat fast lens. something on the order of f/2.2 or faster.
- be sure to bracket! I know you may be trying to capture meteors, but play around with the exposure times!
If you are trying to get interesting star trails:
- go for at least 20 minutes, if not an hour to get good trails. If there is a lot of haze or that nasty "pink light pollution", watch your timing! Let me plug IDA here: http://www.darksky.org
- get something interesting in the foreground if you can. A tree, building, person's silohette. You can creatively use a flashlight with a wide diffuse beam to "paint" the foreground object so it shows up better if needed.
- trails where you have Polaris in the shot are always nice
If you ever want them printed:
- DO NOT go to Walmart, Kodak, o-photo, Walgreens, etc. GO TO A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO PRINTING PLACE. They need to adjust EACH picture and set "black as black", otherwise, you end up with this "mottled rug" looking sky! blech! I use my local Ritz camera b/c I've trained them :-) And...if you don't like a picture they develop/print, they'll redo it for free!
have fun all! I can't go out this year and try, but I'll look forward any pictures people post!
Adrienne
I work for a company that makes software and equipment for planetariums. So naturally we have a bunch of people that are quite into astronomy and astro-photography. (Sadly, I'm not really one of them.) I was talking w/ one of them earlier and he suggested stacking several, shorter exposures. He reasoned that 7 second exposures would work nicely w/ my 35/2. He suggested shooting 8 per set and stacking between 4-8. Considering Bod is recommending 20 sec or less (1000 / (35 * 1.6)) for the same lens on my 1.6x crop camera, it sounds pretty logical to me.
This'll be my first stab at astro-photography. Here's hoping! (And here's also hoping I can get up that early in the morning!)
Last night - cloudy/thunderstorms
Weekend weather predictions:
Tonight - cloudy/thunderstorms
Saturday night - cloudy/thunderstorms
Sunday night - cloudy/thunderstorms
:pissed
Last time I viewed a good Perseids display in Chicago was decades ago. One can always count on clouds here the second weekend in August. It is my/our curse.
Someday, I will move away from this place and good photographs will follow.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
A non-starter due to total cloud cover...I waited untill about 2am then went to bed,,,,,
The weather here is the main reason I've never bought a 12" or 16" telescope..The chances of using it are so slim as to make it a waste of money...
Maybe next year.......
Jerry Lodriguss - Sports Photographer
Reporters sans frontières
Saturday night/Sunday morning I found myself in a relatively rural part of the southern Maine coast. Around midnight we decided to make a run to the beach and watch the sky. The sky was relatively clear when we arrived. I set up and started shooting away. My first mistake was iso.. I left it at 100 and really should have pushed it to 400 or maybe 800. I took sequences of 6 exposures each 8s @ f/2.0 on my 35/2. None are that spectacular.. even lined up and stacked.
Our resident expert astro photography has been wonderfuly patronizing about it all. Of course his first bit of advice: "Ditch that Rebel and get yourself a 20D, like mine!"
We did see a few streaks in the sky now and then. One of my cohorts counted 6, of which I saw 2 and failed to capture any w/ the camera. Shortly after midnight the clouds stated to roll in. I set the alarm for 4 AM intending to get up and give it another try. When I did I discovered we were fully clouded in. Ah well..
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
Name * Date of Peak * Moon Phase
Quadrantids * January 3 * Evening crescent
Lyrids * April 22 * Morning crescent
Eta Aquarids * May 6 * Past first quarter
Delta Aquarids * July 28 * Evening crescent
Perseids * August 12 * Almost full
Orionids * October 21 * New Moon
Leonids * November 17 * New Moon
Geminids * December 14 * Morning crescent
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
The only problem will be the city lights which are to the North of the wedding site. If I only could have talked her into the wedding at Mountain Lake. The view from up there is unreal.
http://help.smugmug.com
As i read the start of your thread i honestly thought to myself.." oh my god...this fella's going to postpone over a photo shoot opportunity"
It is just a great coincidence. We could not have planned it any better. This has special meaning for us as we are both stargazers anyway. The only thing that would have been better than the Perseids would have been a long tailed comet.
http://help.smugmug.com
hey all - saw this was bumped!
Just wanted to add that this year (2006) is bad for playing with astrophotography for the Perseids. The moonrise is around 10pm and will stay in the sky all night - it's just past full and will put out way too much light to have good astrophotos.
You can still try however, but you won't get a dark sky --- it'll be washed out, so be forewarned
Good luck to all who will try!
Adrienne
Hey, you sound like you know what you're talking about.
Think any of the other meteor showers I listed above, will be good photo opps?
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
Sometimes the Leonids in November are good - but not for the past few years. I haven't scoped out them out for this year yet.
and yeah, I used to be an avid astrophotographer (using film) in my grad school days --- I used to teach a class to undergrads, lots of fun and lots of cool toys! We had this fabulous skytracking tripod from Japan that someone donated...they were phenomenal!
I'll get back out soon now that I have my Rebel XT, and I have a superfast astrophotography lens from my film Rebel. I also have connections up on Kitt Peak and frequently go up there on observing runs...so we'll see! Once monsoons pass...
Adrienne
I'd love to see your shots, Adrienne.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
SmugMug Technical Account Manager
Travel = good. Woo, shooting!
nickwphoto
I'm really jealous of your access to Kitt Peak. I managed to get to one of the public viewing evenings up there a few years ago (man, I guess it's 7 or 8 years now!).
We had a bag lunch watching the sunset, then were issued serious binoculars to check things out with as the sky darkened. We saw Iridium flares - are they even still up there? When it got really dark we headed in and took a guided tour of planets and galaxies on what I think was a 16" scope.
It was lots of fun and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area.
Do you have tips to share for astrophotography, or would shooting film be a lot different than digital? I've tried a few shots but haven't been thrilled with the results. And you mention a "superfast astrophotography lens" - could you fill us in on the specifics?
just passing along the link...
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060817.html
Adrienne