Perseid Meteor Shower Aug 11-12 - TIPS?

[RobWithers]

I plan to go up north to the cottage (Georgian Bay - Northern tip of Beausoleil Island) this week to try and capture some of the Perseid meteor shower.

Does anyone have any tips?

ISO? (I would prefer 100 --- obviously less noies, but may not be fast enough to capture the shower)

Where to point the camera (North star??) any tips for shooting this type of photography would be amazing!

 

[BurgaFlippinMan]

will this meteor shower be visible from malaysia? klang valley to be more precise...oh..but what the heck, its so hazy here i doubt it anyway. :9

 

[RobWithers]

Dunno...I would assume so...but probably not as brilliant ...you're not in the northern hemisphere...

 

[ykia]

I've been looking forward to this return

Here's a write up in Sky & Telescope for those interested:
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/meteors/article_1557_1.asp

They also have a "How To" section on Astrophotography:
http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/imaging/article_159_1.asp

I'll just enjoy the view, and if I catch any, that's a bonus.

 

[djork]

ISO 100 is too low. you'll need at least a ISO 400 or 800 with a fast prime lens wide open, or maybe stopped 1 stop for less vignetting. if you like, you can shoot 2 min frames every to avoid having too much noise.

using noise reduction software during post processing will help.

although the meteors will origin from the radiant at the perseus constellation, it's still possible for meteors to appear anywhere in the sky, be it a perseid or sporadic.

a wide angle lens will be good for the job, as a narrower one will restrict your FOV and possibly capture less.

if i were to shoot, i'd probably put the radiant of the shower at one of the thirds of the frame. it'll be good if u have tracking too

 

[Silverelf]

Dunno...I would assume so...but probably not as brilliant ...you're not in the northern hemisphere...

DO you mean Malaysia?
Malaysia is in the Northern Hemisphere what?

 

[RobWithers]

DO you mean Malaysia?
Malaysia is in the Northern Hemisphere what?

Hardly...Malaysia is almost at the equator...I'm up in Canada...Great Lakes region...much further North. Not sure if the shower will be visable that low ....might be below the horizon.



Rob

 

[Ian]

I plan to go up north to the cottage (Georgian Bay - Northern tip of Beausoleil Island) this week to try and capture some of the Perseid meteor shower.

Does anyone have any tips?

ISO? (I would prefer 100 --- obviously less noies, but may not be fast enough to capture the shower)

Where to point the camera (North star??) any tips for shooting this type of photography would be amazing!

I'd use 400-800 ISO and if using film then expose to just under the sky fog limit with the camera attached to a motorised Equitaorially mounted platform (ie: telescope). Lens should be anywhere from 28 to 50mm for good coverage but not too wide an angle or the meteor trails will be too short and thin. If shooting digitally use the longest exposure you can without making the image excessively noisy.

However, with that said, the best method for capturing meteor showers is to use a single or dual stage 'starlight' type light amplification system (used in military applications) attached to a wide angle lens on a video camera.

 

[Murcielago]

is it visible frm singapore?

 

[djork]

is it visible frm singapore?

it's visible. but it only rises at about 2AM at the NE direction. so by the time it hits about 35 degrees above the horizon, it's about 5AM+ already.

 

[Murcielago]

gosh....2-5am?!
on a fri morning...aarrgghhh