View Full Version : Cameras at the ready! Incoming Meteor shower!!!! :D
Phate Brutus mk1
10-08-2007, 14:19
People,
I've just found out that on Sunday between 11pm and 2am is meant to be THE best meteor shower this year, and best of all, forecast crystal clear skys.
So if you haven't got the following go get it
Tripod
Remote shutter
spend saturday finding somewhere nice and high, free of any city and street lights to get some good pictures should be good to watch, Dad and other family members are coming to watch, I'm going to snap!!!!
If I find any more info I'll let you all know.
Thanks for the heads up, but the best meteor showers are normally November though aren't they?
Phate Brutus mk1
10-08-2007, 14:29
Thanks for the heads up, but the best meteor showers are normally November though aren't they?
Not a clue :)
Aha a bit of googling has found this article
http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/article1869865.ece
That advises this will be the best time to view meteors averaging every few seconds and also coincides with the new moon so it will be pretty dark. According to that article the next time this happens is 2015 so if you miss this one you'll have to wait a while
nigelcampbell
10-08-2007, 14:38
The Perseids meteor shower reaches maximum activity during the night of the 12th-13th when given a clear sky some 60-80 meteors per hour can be expected.
The Moon is new on the 12th so conditions could be excellent. The radiant, from where the meteors appear to come, is between Perseus and Cassiopeia.
The meteors can appear in any part of the sky but, if belonging to the Perseid stream, their paths trace back to this area. The real paths of the particles are essentially parallel when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere and the apparent divergence is an effect of perspective. Like most meteor showers, numbers build up over the days before maximum but drop off fairly rapidly afterwards.
The Perseids and the December Geminids (also favourable this year) are the two most reliable annual showers. The Moon will spoil the major showers in 2008.
So before dawn on Sunday if there are no clouds will be the best time to see them - face North (if you're in the UK) find the tip of the Plough's blade (In Ursa Minor) and follow that up and to the right. Perseus should be at the top of the sky as you look around 4am.
Don't know the first thing about how to photograph meteor showers though!
I'll be trying to get it. I'll have to do without the remote shutter though. Thanks for the notice :)
Chuckurbarla
10-08-2007, 14:43
“Almost anywhere in the Mediterranean should be ideal, as long as you are away from artificial light,”
For the first time in my life I'll be in the right place at the right time, and it's as black as yer 'at in my village at new moon time. Yippeee :banana::banana:
Now all I've got to do is stay awake, that could be difficult.
Wile E. coyote
10-08-2007, 14:56
Thanks for the heads up :thumbs:. Might see if I can get out :)
Phate Brutus mk1
10-08-2007, 14:58
“Almost anywhere in the Mediterranean should be ideal, as long as you are away from artificial light,”
For the first time in my life I'll be in the right place at the right time, and it's as black as yer 'at in my village at new moon time. Yippeee :banana::banana:
Now all I've got to do is stay awake, that could be difficult.
Hehe, I've been to the Bahamas and seen their clear skys, amazing sights :)
Sleep during the day! and huzah! you will stay awake :p
AdWright
10-08-2007, 15:02
I'm going to be in Norfolk this weekend so might have a go at capturing this; I would stand no chance here in London!
What lens/aperture/shutter speeds would be suitable for capturing the meteor showers? I'm thinking of using my Sigma 17-70 at a wide setting with a narrow aperture and a slow speed. Should I be thinking in terms of several seconds? Alternatively I could use my nifty fifty. Any suggestions?
Buttkicker
10-08-2007, 16:01
Thanks for the heads up, but the best meteor showers are normally November though aren't they?
Yes
coreccto mundo:clap:
Jimmy_Lemon
10-08-2007, 16:03
Might give this ago on top of the pennines, see if I can see anything.
busterboy
10-08-2007, 16:16
Might give this ago on top of the pennines, see if I can see anything.
The last big meteor shower I witnessed was right above Grassington Tom, Bloody fantastic but the downside was I had no camera with me..:thumbsdown:
Try this for some tips
http://www.saugus.net/Photos/meteor_photography_tips_night.shtml
Perseids should be good this year as no moon - just need to hope for clear skies! The Geminids have more meteors (higher ZHR) and darker skies, but since the Perseids coincide with a new moon, there is great potential this year.
Cheers for the heads up, might give this a try!:thumbs:
whiteflyer
10-08-2007, 19:34
It was mentioned on this months Sky at Night so I already had it in my diary.
So I'll see you all on a dark lonley road somewhere then :lol:
Jimmy_Lemon
10-08-2007, 19:38
anyone know any directions this might be happening in?
anyone know any directions this might be happening in?
You could try looking up at the sky, that would be a good start :lol:
Sorry couldnt help it
:lol: :lol: Awesome :thumbs:
davidbridges
10-08-2007, 20:21
cheers for that, i will have my camera at the ready even though i havent taken any decent starry sky shots without something being wrong.
whiteflyer
10-08-2007, 21:39
anyone know any directions this might be happening in?
Copied from StarDate Online
The next meteor shower is the Perseids on August 12. This year there’s no moonlight to interfere. The best time to watch is from 11 p.m. August 12 until dawn the next morning. The best direction to watch is wherever your sky is darkest. If you have a dark sky, you may see a meteor once a minute on average. The shower is also active for several days before and after its peak.
Or for the more technically minded.
Perseids
Active July 23-August 20
Radiant RA 03h 04m Dec +58°
The undoubted stand-out for meteor observers in the summer of 2007 is a very favourable return of the Perseids, peaking on Aug 13d 02h UT in dark, moonless skies. At this time, just as dawn is approaching for observers in the British Isles, the Perseid radiant will be high in the eastern sky and from locations away from artificial light pollution rates of around a meteor per minute should be attained. In most years, the Perseids produce corrected ZHR around 80 at maximum, with rates at half that level on Aug 11-12 and 13-14. Indeed, watches on any night in the 10-day interval centred on Perseid maximum are likely to be very productive for the patient observer: this is a great time for new observers to try their hand at meteor work! All else being equal, best rates are found when the Perseid radiant – near the ‘Sword Handle’ on the Perseus-Cassiopeia border – is highest in the sky during the pre-dawn hours. Even in early evening, however, the radiant is already quite favourably placed:
Local Time (53oN) Radiant Altitude Local Time Radiant Altitude
21h 28.1° 01h 52.8°
22h 32.8° 02h 59.3°
23h 38.4° 03h 67.1°
00h 44.7°
Observers should bear in mind the nightly eastwards ‘drift’ of the Perseid radiant e to Earth’s orbital motion. In early August, the radiant is 15 degrees west of its position at maximum (given above), to the north of Andromeda.
New Moon falls on August 12, and the Perseid maximum night of Aug 12-13 (a Sunday to Monday) will be free from lunar interference. Productive watches become possible from about Aug 6-7 onwards, with the waning crescent Moon retreating into the morning sky and rising later from night to night.
Perseid meteors are produced by debris from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Incoming meteoroids have atmospheric entry velocities of 60 km/s, resulting in very fast meteors. A healthy proportion of Perseids are bright, making the shower a good target for photography. Perseids brighter than about magnitude 0 can be captured at film speeds of ISO 400 or greater with a camera fitted with either a 50 mm standard lens or 28 mm wideangle lens at f/2.8 or faster, using time exposures aimed towards Cygnus or the Square of Pegasus. These need not be driven – ‘static’ cameras yield images with meteors appearing as longer streaks cutting across the short arcs of star trails. Users of conventional film can try exposures of 10-15 minutes’ duration. Some observers enjoyed success with digital exposures of 30 seconds’ duration in 2005: obviously, these demand availability of sufficient memory as a night’s operation may amount to as many as 500 images!
Being fast meteors, Perseids – particularly the brighter examples – often leave behind persistent ionisation trains.
As one of the year’s most consistent very active showers (alongside the Quadrantids and Geminids), the Perseids justifiably enjoy favour with even casual observers. The 2005 return was well-observed from the UK, showing a typical strong peak with ZHR 70-80 and the usual abundance of bright events. It appears that the enhanced Perseid activity attending the 1992 perihelion return of the parent comet is now behind us, but the shower’s regular, fairly dependable performance makes this a continued highlight of the meteor observer’s year. Circumstances of the shower could hardly be more favourable for the UK in 2007, both in terms of the absence of moonlight, and the timing of maximum: observers should make the most of this opportunity – moonlight will severely restrict viewing in 2008.
Observations of these, and other less-active showers, together with sporadic activity, will be welcomed by the Meteor Section. Observing instructions can be found on the website at http://www.britastro.org/meteor
Send reports and enquiries to the Meteor Section Director:
AdWright
10-08-2007, 23:23
I just spent an hour gazing at the sky here in Norfolk and saw over 40 meteors.
Naturally my f-ing 20D chose this opportunity to break down for the first time ever and refuse to turn on. Any ideas folks? (And yes, the battery is charged! :p)
:thinking: But it's Sunday night it all happens isn't it? :lol: (that's for Adwright BTW)
So I have a question... If I was to set my camera up pointed in the right direction, what settings are best to use (using my 350D, please give me a break down of numbers etc.) if I were to do, say ... a 3 hour exposure? :dunno: And would my battery (no battery grip) last a 3 hour exposure if it's been fully charged? Or is 3 hours far too long? :lol:
:thinking: But it's Sunday night it all happens isn't it? :lol: (that's for Adwright BTW)
So I have a question... If I was to set my camera up pointed in the right direction, what settings are best to use (using my 350D, please give me a break down of numbers etc.) if I were to do, say ... a 3 hour exposure? :dunno: And would my battery (no battery grip) last a 3 hour exposure if it's been fully charged? Or is 3 hours far too long? :lol:
Ideally (and as far as I know) you'll need to expose for roughly 30 seconds, at a low iso, with a wide open aperture (or just under) and have the lens set to manual-infinity (∞) focus.
The problem with longer exposures is that you would need to introduce some method of tracking the stars (mounting the camera onto a motor driven platform) in order to counteract the rotation of the earth and avoid having the stars etc streak across the image (Ideally you want the stars to be sharp and clear, whilst the meteor moves across the scene).
3 hours would look pretty bad, at least in terms of portrayal of the movement of the meteor in relation to the stars (lots of small streaks).
As for the battery, so long as it still holds 'good' charge and is fully charged it should be fine between 12-4am. Try experimenting with exposures around 20 secs to a minute (at least that's what I'll be doing, might have a pop at a 3-4 min exposure too). You'll need a shutter release cable though (RS-60E3 for the 350d - bout £25 from jessops/jacobs), and try to use the cameras 'mirror lockup' function, and 'long exposure noise reduction' :).
Thank you Benneh! ;)
I also came across this page CLICKY (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/leonids_photographing.html) for anyone else interested in finding out settings and all that jazz. It, like Bennah's advise is very useful :thumbs:
whiteflyer
11-08-2007, 07:05
You'll need a shutter release cable though (RS-60E3 for the 350d - bout £25 from jessops/jacobs), and try to use the cameras 'mirror lockup' function, and 'long exposure noise reduction' :).
Or less than £10 on e-bay :lol::lol:
AdWright
11-08-2007, 09:08
:thinking: But it's Sunday night it all happens isn't it? :lol: (that's for Adwright BTW)
yes but...
THE PERSEIDS will be visible on clear nights from about August 10 to August 15, peaking on August 13.
Anyone fancy a northumberland meet? We can find somewhere up in the cheviots perhaps.
Or less than £10 on e-bay :lol::lol:
Not with delivery before Sunday though :p.
I assume that tonight won't be too bad for viewing the shooting stars either? I was just wondering about doing a short practice session tonight to see what I need to brush up on (especially focus) before tomorrow night.
I am going to try out the settings for tomorrow night also :)
Typical I just went out in the back garden with a compass and north east aims straight over the only street light in the whole road outside the front of my bungalow :shake:
Well I just came back from tonights sortie and I didn't have any luck catching a meteorite unfortunately. I did see three in about an hour and a half though. Two out of the corner of my eye and the third I was looking directly at. They are huge, a lot bigger than any I have seen before so it is well worth going out tomorrow if you can.:)
I forgot my remote tonight so I was restricted to max 30 second exposures as the camera (or my stupidity) didn't seem to let me use bulb mode without holding down the shutter for the entire time.:bang: I'm sure I used to be able to.:thinking:
Anyway I'll post a few shots up in a bit when I have had a look at them.:)
EDIT: The only showable shots here (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=30304).
I had a quick look at the sky last night (about 12.30am) and saw about half a dozen in around 5 minutes including a couple of big ones, most of them were just to the right of the North Star, I might have to give this a go tonight.
It's quieter tonight than last night so far, I was up until 4 and didn't get a sausage hopefully it will get more active later, but I can't go until the same time today.
Well i wanted to be up by the marshes for 11pm, but discovered my shift tonight is 11pm-2am :( So I was a little gutted ... until, that is, I just read this on a site:
I usually follow the predictions of the Royal Astronomical Scoiety of Canada, and if they are right with the prediction of 5 hours UT on the 13th, the radiant will be quite high overhead for observers in the UK just before dawn. So the meteors will be well placed for you, if at an inconvenient time. Some place clear and dark from maybe 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. should work well if the weather cooperates. Good observing!
:clap: My night shift may well have done me a favour being early for once :lol:
I am just on my way out now !! Watch this space for a load of black skies :)
Anybody caught any? I just spent about 40 minutes trying, but I don't think I managed to get any thing. :(
Dark Star
13-08-2007, 00:22
Been watching and saw loads, a dozen or so over 90 mins - a really beautiful sight!
But I was watching rather than photographing - next year maybe!
Ok, I did get a few, but it's just a very "weak" trail of light. I seem to have caught a few satellites making their way across the sky though! :lol:
This is probably the best shot I got of an actual meteor:
F4, ISO400, 30 sec
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/KamionCTR/Misc/IMG_5639.jpg
I seem to have a few "always blue" and "always red" pixels on my sensor! :eek:
Dark Star
13-08-2007, 00:32
Hey at least you got one! Well done that man!
:D
Anybody caught any? I just spent about 40 minutes trying, but I don't think I managed to get any thing. :(
Problem is the meteors only last for a short time compared to an exposure of 30secs or so :(
Just drove 20 miles and all I can see around here is cloud & rain :thumbsdown:
Not tried to photograph any but my 8 year old daughter has had something of an obsession about seeing a shooting star for years now. In fact only today I had one of her grillings about what it's like to see one.
It clouded over here at about 10 and all my thoughts of getting her up to tick this off her ambition list seemed to evaporate with the stars.
Then at just after 12, it cleared up and we sat and watched a few in few in front of the house and she wished on every one. She was sooooooooo thrilled and as a bonus, now I feel like superdad. :D:D
10 minutes later the clouds were back and I'm sat feeling very happy and smugly satisfied that it all worked out. :woot:
:lol: I didn't actually "see" one directly. I was kinda staring up and when it happened, it was usually off to a corner of my eye. There were a few rather bright ones, but I just didn't manage to look at them.
my 8 year old daughter has had something of an obsession about seeing a shooting star
I had my 13 year old with me, complete with her own camera ! :lol:
Gutted that she didn't get to see a single one. I might let her have another late night & try again tomorrow if the weather is anything like ............
perfect angle for mine, shame it wasn't qute what I wanted to shoot !
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k223/chewyuk/IMG_2355-web.jpg
Aeroplane?
I just got back after and I think I may have caught one (have only had a quick glance over the shots so far) although it isn't much better than yesterdays one.:shrug: I only took about 12 shots tonight but that includes two 20 minute exposures that with noise reduction took over 40mins each:eek:. Last nights sortie definately helped.:woot:
What a horrible start though, I got all the way out into the countryside with my dad and discovered I had taken the QR plate off the tripod earlier that day. Que going back after half an hour and spending an hour searching for the darn thing, finally finding it my dad dropped me off again. So although he doesn't read this, thanks dad you saved me a couple of very long cycles! (This is after forgetting the remote yesterday.:embarrassed:)
Anyway enough about my failings, I'll see about posting a few pictures up in a bit.:)
EDIT: sorted the photos out now, there were only 8 in total.
Anyway this is the closest I got to one, can anyone tell me if this is actually a meteor not a satellite.:gag:
http://www.wildaboutlife.net/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=678&g2_serialNumber=1
And 3 more in this thread over in GPS: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=338237#post338237
Well, the cloud cleared, saw quite a few but managed to miss every single one ! :bonk:
Giving up for tonight, anyone fancy a dawn shoot ? :D
Did get a nice Star Trek one though ! :D:lol:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1042/1098547479_1783f2ef96.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1098547479&size=o)
got a couple
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/839/per1.jpg
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/839/per2.jpg
I was just about to give up as the clouds had started to roll in!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1012/1100391472_a58f37039c.jpg
Had quite a few other near misses. VERY frustraiting. But I'm chuffed I got at least one :)
I got one on my second attempt then decided to photograph the light pollution evident from the surrounding towns (all 10-15miles+ away) from my viewpoint ontop of the mountain.
It was well worth going up the mountain as the sight of so many stars alone was worth it, I saw quite a lot of meteorites tonight well into the double figures.
My one and only meteorite.
http://www.mole2k.co.uk/rand/_MG_2515.jpg
Some light pollution stuff from the viewpoint.
http://www.mole2k.co.uk/rand/_MG_2534.jpg
http://www.mole2k.co.uk/rand/_MG_2522.jpg
http://www.mole2k.co.uk/rand/_MG_2521.jpg
Chuckurbarla
13-08-2007, 05:30
Looks like there were some successes anyway. I reckon Jo and Mole got the best ones here. I love the light pollution ones and Mole you've got a meteor in the middle of the colour one too, did you notice? The b+w one is reminiscent of the photos of the London blitz during the war.
We had a fantastic show here and one huge one this morning light up the sky like a bolt of lightning. Don't know yet if or how many I managed to catch, I'll have to wait till Ali has processed them later today. If I have got one or two and I can get some decent scans out of him I'll post them later.
Heres my effort, I think Saturday night was far more active
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/1101397306_3f8067c1f9_o.jpg
Lady Pitstop
13-08-2007, 07:02
Well Done Jojo and Mole :clap:
I saw about six, one was really bright! Then it clouded over and I got a stiff neck with all that looking up :lol::lol: so I went to bed:) Amazing sight though!!!
Didnt have my camera with me at my parents this weekend, but went and sat outside for a while anyway, saw quite a few and wish I had taken my camera now, never mind, next year :) Well done everyone else.
sepulchre
13-08-2007, 08:17
Great captures there Jojo and Mole. I might have a look tonight, maybe still be a few around? I cant belive I missed this thread :bang:
Wow! mole2k, that's a fantastic shot! :) Great capture!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/1098196929_77c620d9c3_o.jpg
Best I got was that. 5 seconds, iso1600, f/2.8, 24mm. I left the camera on continuous shooting for a while and watched TV.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1278/1097994809_5f184ca18b_o.jpg
That has more stars and 2 lines. They look so fake though. 2 thin lines.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1186/1097236327_5aecf89d3e_o.jpg
I was very impressed with how many stars I could capture from my back garden though.
Congrats mole and jojo, great shots there. mole's looks like the Enterprise burning up in ST3 ;)
:bang: drove for miles to get away from london lights, and missed everyone of them. Mind you, it was nice to see them even if I didnt manage to capture any. This was one of the results...
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/1002/stars.jpg
Well done guys, some good successes from the looks of it.:thumbs:
We are going past dartmoor this evening so I am going to see if we can stop there for a while, should be a good spot to see a few more possibly (or at least i few more stars).:)
Wow, there's a couple of great captures there, well done guys. Just had another quick 'shufty' through my attempts and found that I did actually capture one, although I accidentally caught something else in the frame which simply ruined the whole shot :bonk::bonk:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1435/1102803683_d1ade6362b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1102803683&size=o)
Chuckurbarla
13-08-2007, 12:02
Well I've got to go out tonight and do it all again because I got absolutely nothing last night. :bang: I'm pretty sure that the focus slipped while getting set up. I was using my EOS50E and 28-80 on manual focus. It has a rather sloppy focus ring anyway so whilst pointing it up at the sky it probably moved. BluTac or duct tape to the rescue tonight.
:lol::lol: at macker's shot. Myabe I'll see one of those tonight!
Haha, you should send that off to the BBC, they may be interested. Thats if the US government haven't raided your house already! :lol:
Well I'm glad that some of you have had some good luck capturing those elusive little critters
My luck wasn't so good and despite being out all night, didn't get a single one :(
Anyway, here's some light pollution
http://www.itsnotarace.com/tpf/Meteors/DSC_4387.jpg
http://www.itsnotarace.com/tpf/Meteors/DSC_4500.jpg
http://www.itsnotarace.com/tpf/Meteors/DSC_4505.jpg
http://www.itsnotarace.com/tpf/Meteors/DSC_4521.jpg
shiato storm
13-08-2007, 17:39
nice polution anyway
Evilowl, I think you shoud console yourself with the fact that those shots are about 100 times more interesting than the meteors would have been. Especially the middle two, just stunning. :clap:
Some nice shots there, at least someone got some clear sky!!
Miss McT
13-08-2007, 21:20
Evilowl, I think you shoud console yourself with the fact that those shots are about 100 times more interesting than the meteors would have been. Especially the middle two, just stunning. :clap:
what they said!
Dan Leach
13-08-2007, 21:23
Great shots in this thread. Too much cloud here to see the meteor shower meself :(
But looks like you lot made up for it :D
I took over 100 shots and got no meteors whatsoever :(.
Just come in from 90 mins in my hot tub:lol:and seen 30ish in that time....it's still not completely dark up here (island off Skye) but the weather has been so crap for the last few days and this has definitely made up for it. Superb views of about 8 or do with dust trails, no light polution whatsoever, but too cold for shots..goodnight all!!
@ evilowl - Wow, no's 2 & 3 are simply stunning :thumbs::thumbs:
Nice shots evilowl :D
I was watching last night - saw several dozen meteors, some reaaallllyyy huge and impressive. Thoroughly enjoyed watching!
I also shot a coupla slide frames, one 3 1/2 hours, but I'm not really sure that I pointed it at the right bit of sky, and when I came out to close the shutter the blinkin' thing was covered in dew (front element being what bothered me here) :suspect:
Just come in from 90 mins in my hot tub:lol:and seen 30ish in that time....it's still not completely dark up here (island off Skye) but the weather has been so crap for the last few days and this has definitely made up for it. Superb views of about 8 or do with dust trails, no light polution whatsoever, but too cold for shots..goodnight all!!
Haha you jammy git! :woot:. I have 2 friends that have just moved there, reckon it was the best thing they ever did! (A woodworker named Paul and his family - from the west mids, never know lol might have met them).
What surprised me was the number of planes going over :shrug:, managed to get 3-4 meteors in the end.
You can just see one bottom left-:
http://www.zen63696.zen.co.uk/p1-full.jpg
Close up here-:
http://www.zen63696.zen.co.uk/p1-crop.jpg
Dave
Evilowl, I think you shoud console yourself with the fact that those shots are about 100 times more interesting than the meteors would have been. Especially the middle two, just stunning. :clap:
Very kind, thanks :D
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