May Sky Guide

[Alan]

If you get up early in the morning from May 6-8 you will see one of the most reliable meteor showers in the southern hemisphere.
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which is due to the debris from Halley's comet, will peak at 6:00am AEST on May 6.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-0...-guide/7356040


This may be useful

[Isac]

Alan, can you take a couple of photos for me? That's like .... 4am over here in the West. I might set up the intervalometer and do a time lapse. I'm sure these shows are put on just for the wise men from the East. I cant wait to see the pics!

[Alan]

I may get up early. I tried this last year when there was supposed to be a good shower come through and I spent ages on the beach and captured only one faint trail.

[Isac]

Mmmmm ... I think if I was over there, I'd be guided by what the temperature was going to be OR sleeping sounds better.

[Alan]

Here you go Isac.

Clear skies and I was awake anyway, so I wandered over to the beach. There was some light pollution from the SL Club and toilet block.

I stuffed up the focus for the first 6/8 photos while a couple of meteors whizzed over.

Most were faint, fleeting and few and far between. I pointed the camera to the NE, as I was told, and just kept pressing the shutter. 30 sec exposures, f/4.5 (max aperture on the Sigma 10-20mm set at 10mm). and 3200 ISO (lot of noise). Had to change the direction slightly a couple of times

Managed to get two trails in 30 mins but missed a few as they were too high or out of frame.

Decided to turn around and get some shots of the more interesting Milky Way, and as I was setting up, a couple of bright meteors passed by to the South. I managed to get three more trails pointing in what should have been the wrong direction.

In the hour I was there, from 4 to 5 am, I probably saw over a dozen and recorded 5.

I'm still finding it hard to process them - even with a tutorial.

The first photo is a combination of all five trails pointing South into the Milky way and the second is the two North pointing ones combined.

I may go out again tomorrow and try with Live View for pre focusing and wipe the dew off the lens more often - (and with warmer clothes!)

[Isac]

Great stuff Alan. I think you've nailed it. Do you have an infinity focus selection on your lens?

[Alan]

Thanks

Yes I do have an infinity mark on my lens - but I can go past it a bit. Reading some tutes about focusing on stars it was suggested that some lenses can focus on infinity slightly behind or in front of the infinity mark. I doubt I'd be able to tell at 10mm and I also doubt that at f/4 it is worth worrying about. I'd be better setting a 2 sec delay of the shutter as I don't have a shutter release.

Cheers

[Isac]

Wow, no triggers! You're kidding me. I just a bit surprised that a great tog like yourself has not got triggers.
I bought 2 sets of these for under $80 - twin pack, Yongnuo Rf-603 N3 2.4ghz Flash Triggers.
Also the intervalometer is a great device - under $20 delivered.

[Alan]

Isac, Isac, Isac - you are talking to someone who uses an iPhone as a camera of choice.

Wasn't 'Trigger' Roy Roger's Horse?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_%28horse%29

I will have to look at that volto thingo though - sounds useful. (I do have a Yongnuo remote Flash unit - never used)

[Pete]

That's Nice Alan not a lot of LP to get those. I used love standing on the beach at 80 Mile Beach a little way south of Broome at night. we would navigate our way through the sand-hills with a red lantern. Then just stand on the beach and look up and turn 360's on the spot. On our feet I mean. On a calm night there was no horizon, just stars. Your making me feel like I'm missing something. Just keep your work coming mate its great.

[seaslug]

Going past the Infinity mark on my lenses makes a considerable difference. I've since made white alignment marks for use at night.

[Isac]

I've done the same Greg. the Canon 10-18 has no infinity marking so I was in the dark for a while.

[Alan]

Thanks Pete - glad it bought back memories. (wonder if you ever knew Mick - a photographer, sometimes roadie and full time ratbag who used to provide sage advice here until recently? )

[Pete]

I have known a few Micks in my time but of the Irish Ilk this other sounds like he would have been good to know.

Pete

[Isac]

We all love Mick here. I do hope he is OK.

[Alan]

Going past the Infinity mark on my lenses makes a considerable difference. I've since made white alignment marks for use at night.

Thanks Greg - I might try that - I've always gone the other way, (no surprises there)

[Alan]

Just went back to the beach to see where the Milky Way was, (not where I expected), and I tried a different focus method, (thanks Greg), and processing.

Oh to be in the outback on a night like this..

[Isac]

You'd be much happier with that one Alan

[Phoenix]

That's exciting stuff in my books.
Really enjoyed seeing your all your efforts.

(However I was a bit disappointed that you didn't catch those mythical stick movers in the night.)

[Alan]

Thanks Greg and Jo

This is how it started - I still have a long way to go in getting it right in camera. A fast, wide angle lens would help a lot. (plus learning how to use masks)