Leonied Meteor Shower

[TJ K]

Im actually doin a trail right now thirty sec long in thirty sec intervals at f/4 so far its sick just how wil i combine for a vid. Sorry for grammar on ipod due to being outside doin these trails

 

[PhotoXopher]

30 seconds long in 30 second intervals?

So that would make one exposure, not much of a vid

 

[Inst!nct]

im quite confused, i will be getting up at 4am, whats the recommended settings on camera? anyone know how fast these buggers will be?

 

[TJ K]

30 seconds long in 30 second intervals?

So that would make one exposure, not much of a vid

I mean a 30second exposure spaced 30 sec apart for over 100 exposures im still going and damn im tired and battery is low

 

[myjay610]

Did the same on the stars out now; I'm gonna try a bunch at 30", f/7.1, ISO400 and 30", f/5.6 ISO200, they were my best out of the bunch.

 

[TJ K]

Just did this.

 

[astrostu]

Okay folks, here are the settings and reasons for meteor showers:

Focal Length: Short. You want a wide angle. The meteor trails will appear from a single spot in the sky in the constellation Leo (looks like a question mark "?" in the sky). However, from that radiant point, they will go all over the sky, it's just that you can trace all trails back to Leo. You want a wide angle lens so that you have the greatest chance of actually having the meteor trail in the field of view when it happens regardless of whether you're pointed directly at it or not.

Aperture: This is a mixed bag. If you're going for star trails as a background and then a meteor streak through them (a neat effect), then a smaller aperture is better, around the f/8 range. This is also where most lenses are sharpest. However, if you want stars to be points and the meteor to be a streak through the star field, then you will necessarily be using a shorter exposure, and hence a larger aperture would be desirable for the most stars.

ISO: Low. As low as you can set it and still use the aperture you want for the shutter speed you select.

Shutter Speed: This varies based on the effect, as I talked about in the Aperture setting. If you're going for trails, then you need a long exposure. At least a minute on a wider angle lens. If you don't want star trails, then you are restricted generally to less than 30 second photographs which gets really tedious snapping photo after photo without getting anything (speaking from experience ...). For reference, with a 35 mm lens on a 1.6x crop body, I started to see trails after about 20 seconds.

Tripod: Necessity. There's really no negotiating room here.

Where to Aim: You'd think towards Leo, and if you're using a super-wide angle (like 18 mm or so) then that's probably a decent bet. But otherwise, as I said, they can spread out in all directions from Leo, so ... yeah, just pick a spot and cross your fingers.

 

[TJ K]

Okay folks, here are the settings and reasons for meteor showers:

Focal Length: Short. You want a wide angle. The meteor trails will appear from a single spot in the sky in the constellation Leo (looks like a question mark "?" in the sky). However, from that radiant point, they will go all over the sky, it's just that you can trace all trails back to Leo. You want a wide angle lens so that you have the greatest chance of actually having the meteor trail in the field of view when it happens regardless of whether you're pointed directly at it or not.

Aperture: This is a mixed bag. If you're going for star trails as a background and then a meteor streak through them (a neat effect), then a smaller aperture is better, around the f/8 range. This is also where most lenses are sharpest. However, if you want stars to be points and the meteor to be a streak through the star field, then you will necessarily be using a shorter exposure, and hence a larger aperture would be desirable for the most stars.

ISO: Low. As low as you can set it and still use the aperture you want for the shutter speed you select.

Shutter Speed: This varies based on the effect, as I talked about in the Aperture setting. If you're going for trails, then you need a long exposure. At least a minute on a wider angle lens. If you don't want star trails, then you are restricted generally to less than 30 second photographs which gets really tedious snapping photo after photo without getting anything (speaking from experience ...). For reference, with a 35 mm lens on a 1.6x crop body, I started to see trails after about 20 seconds.

Tripod: Necessity. There's really no negotiating room here.

Where to Aim: You'd think towards Leo, and if you're using a super-wide angle (like 18 mm or so) then that's probably a decent bet. But otherwise, as I said, they can spread out in all directions from Leo, so ... yeah, just pick a spot and cross your fingers.

and what time do you think would be best to see it from over head on the east side? Good info there for everyone to indulge in haha

 

[astrostu]

and what time do you think would be best to see it from over head on the east side? Good info there for everyone to indulge in haha

Here's a viewers' guide. Remember that the Eastern US is -5 GMT, West Coast is -8.

 

[DennyCrane]

No joy. Southern sky was cloudy. I saw 3 meteors, none where the camera was aimed or when the shutter was open. I got this and was all excited... nope. Just a jet.

 

[jonnyphoto]

I really want a go at capturing a shot of one of these shooters! but after this afternoons clear periods with sunshine in Yorkshire, UK we have a cloudy evening forecast

I still might take a peek at around 1:00 am though just in case :er: