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08/08/2018 05:20:01 PM · #1 |
This weekend is supposed to be spectacular for the Perseid Meteor Shower.
How much interest would there be in a speed challenge around that time frame, outside the normal challenge routine? Maybe a 4-day challenge... |
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08/08/2018 05:28:27 PM · #2 |
| As with most atmospheric events the forecast tells me that I will need to move to a home somewhere near 30,000 feet to experience this event. |
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08/08/2018 05:35:59 PM · #3 |
| For most challenges, some people are better positioned or equipped than others )) |
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08/08/2018 06:10:23 PM · #4 |
I say do it.
It will be completed clouded over this weekend, but I do have a teenage girl, who has glitter and sparkles!!!!
=P |
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08/08/2018 06:13:21 PM · #5 |
Saturday is supposed to be clear here. Now, if I can get everybody in Chicago to dim their lights for a few minutes...
The link isn't quite working for me: "Houston, we have a problem..." |
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08/08/2018 06:21:49 PM · #6 |
Reading the thread title, I actually thought Bear was suggesting a "Meteoric speed" challenge, not 48 hours but something like 48 minutes from announcement to the submission deadline. That would be fun...
Message edited by author 2018-08-08 18:22:18. |
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08/08/2018 07:38:13 PM · #7 |
For once in what seems like forever, the next few nights are supposed to be relatively clear. I'd love an excuse to try and get out and do some night sky photography.
ETA: at 40km per second, this might be a *real* speed challenge, LOL.
Message edited by author 2018-08-08 19:40:02. |
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08/08/2018 07:47:44 PM · #8 |
| Well, it'd just be an "extra" challenge so if only a relatively small percentage of DPCers turn out to have decent viewing, so be it. Not every challenge has to work for everyone, is what it comes down to. |
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08/08/2018 08:57:50 PM · #9 |
I wouldn't enter, but I'd love to see the results!
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08/08/2018 09:13:16 PM · #10 |
| Bring it on...I’ll figure out the logistics... |
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08/09/2018 02:45:45 AM · #11 |
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3483667
I can try to join the activity
Message edited by author 2018-08-09 02:46:01. |
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08/10/2018 07:09:21 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Well, it'd just be an "extra" challenge so if only a relatively small percentage of DPCers turn out to have decent viewing, so be it. Not every challenge has to work for everyone, is what it comes down to. |
Very small group. Should have been a speed challenge. Oh well, best of luck to the dozen or so that enter. |
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08/10/2018 07:37:17 AM · #13 |
| Cloud for us for the next three nights - shame as we had cloudless skies for the last few weeks. |
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08/10/2018 08:30:44 AM · #14 |
silly question since I have never done this kind of thing before :)
I am in the NYC area so how and where can I see this event and take some shots? |
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08/10/2018 08:43:43 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by pgirish007:
silly question since I have never done this kind of thing before :)
I am in the NYC area so how and where can I see this event and take some shots? |
Basically, you need to find as dark an area as possible. That's going to involve some travel for you. Take a look at this map.
Your best observing time is going to be in the hours before sunrise, but late evening (10 PM or so) can also be good. At that time, the radiant (the direction the Perseids come from) is below the horizon, and you'll see "earthgrazers" that carve long tracks across the sky, but the total rate of meteors will be quite a bit lower than the early AM hours. |
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08/10/2018 09:52:06 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
Basically, you need to find as dark an area as possible. That's going to involve some travel for you. Take a look at this map. |
Good luck! Lots of red, orange, and yellow on the entire East Coast (up and down the entire Eastern seaboard). |
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08/10/2018 12:15:50 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by pgirish007:
I am in the NYC area so how and where can I see this event and take some shots? |
Give me a shout if you're willing to drive 4-5 hours tonight for a potentially stunning photo. Otherwise, I think we're out of luck until Wednesday night. |
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08/11/2018 08:34:51 AM · #18 |
Took some pictures yesterday of the stars but the result is very poor. I can see many stars with my eye but in camerea there are only few white dots to see. I used the 75-300mmm lens, I also tried the 85mm lens in infinity, put in ISO 6500 but not sure they are stars or huge pixels.
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08/11/2018 09:42:59 AM · #19 |
Actually George...that’s not bad!!! IMO
Mind you I’m on my cellphone...but I can see the stars and their not “trailing” |
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08/11/2018 09:54:03 AM · #20 |
Originally posted by GeorgesBogaert:
Took some pictures yesterday of the stars but the result is very poor. I can see many stars with my eye but in camerea there are only few white dots to see. I used the 75-300mmm lens, I also tried the 85mm lens in infinity, put in ISO 6500 but not sure they are stars or huge pixels.
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Open up your aperture to at least 4.0, preferably wider. Good luck! |
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08/11/2018 11:37:36 AM · #21 |
ouch, sorry to missed to see this message :( so now next is on Wednesday? I will have to see if I can make it because of working days.
Originally posted by scalvert:
Originally posted by pgirish007:
I am in the NYC area so how and where can I see this event and take some shots? |
Give me a shout if you're willing to drive 4-5 hours tonight for a potentially stunning photo. Otherwise, I think we're out of luck until Wednesday night. |
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08/11/2018 12:07:21 PM · #22 |
You should SOOOOOOOO drive to meet up with  scalvert this is an amazing opportunity!
Have you seen his astronomy photos?!
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08/11/2018 11:40:45 PM · #23 |
Thanks Juliet, that was very nice of you. I did make the trip, although I didn't see any of the bright fireballs I was hoping for. Of course the best meteors were juuuust off the edge of the frame with only enough visible to taunt me for missing them.
Tips for anyone else who wants to try this:
DO NOT move to Connecticut. The weather here is awful for astronomy. You might as well live in a cave.
Find a dark location with a clear view of a large area of sky, or at least aim for the darkest part of the sky available to you. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and Perseids will trace back to an origin below Cassiopia (the big "W" of stars rising in the northeast). You'll see more meteors between midnight and dawn because the earth is then facing directly into the oncoming dust.
An interesting foreground scene is often desirable, but it can be tricky to get both the foreground and stars exposed correctly. Expose for the stars and try light painting your foreground with a flashlight.
A tripod or sturdy support is mandatory to hold the camera still (unless you own a Pentax K1). Divide 500 by the effective focal length of your lens to determine how long your exposures can be before you get star trails. So a 16mm lens can go about 30 seconds on a full frame camera and 20 seconds with a crop sensor.
If you have a motorized equatorial mount to follow the stars, you can shoot much longer exposures, however any foreground objects will blur instead. Some mounts can track at half sidereal rate to split the difference.
For DSLRs, enable live view or the electronic shutter mode (Canon calls theirs Silent Shooting) to avoid vibration from your shutter mirror.
Use your widest and fastest lens wide open at ISO 800 or higher (ideally 1600 or 3200).
Focus on a distant light (or even Mars if possible), then set your lens to manual focus. Bear in mind that you may not be able to focus on a close foreground and distant stars at the same time with the lens wide open.
Compose the scene the way you want it, including as much sky as possible, and then take some test shots to figure out the correct exposure. Once you have that setting, use a remote shutter release to fire continuously and pull up and chair or blanket to wait for meteors. From a dark site after midnight on August 12th (early morning on the 13th), you may see several nice meteors per minute, while the unfortunate folks who live in Connecticut and get clouded out for several days on either side of the peak will be lucky to get one good one per hour.
Make the effort and get a trophy photo. Seriously, a weekend meteor shower peak with no moon is the best opportunity we've had in years to shoot the Perseids... unless you live in Connecticut. |
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08/13/2018 01:27:58 PM · #24 |
Seems like this should be an Open challenge to get more participants... But, what do I know? :D
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08/13/2018 03:11:26 PM · #25 |
I have a couple of questions regarding the rules on this challenge and or a couple of photos I have taken, but I am not sure if it is a rule questions or legality or general help or not,, or whether they shoudl be a PM to SC or a message on here. I have confused myself completely and utterly.
Message edited by author 2018-08-13 15:11:57. |
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