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(meteorobs) About Meteor photographing



Here are some of my opinions about meteor photographing:
I would recommend f.ex. Kodak Elitechrome 100 slide film. You can push it
f.ex. 2 stops. When You process the films, process one film (f.ex pushed 2
stops) at first and wait for the results. Then You decide what to do with
other films.
During Leonids 2000 in Finland (full moon and some haze on the sky) I used
quite long exposures (3 to 5 minutes) and the photos were mainly okay
(shorter times gave some underexposures!). I used 16 mm/f2.8, 20 mm/f2.8 and
28/f1.8 objectives. The result was appr. 10 meteors on photos (nothing
superb). I think the darkest sky is 90 degrees from the moon (darker than
the opposite sky from the moon!).
During 1998 Leonids in China I got some 160 meteors on appr. 80 frames. You
can see some results on http://www.saunalahti.fi/fmbb/astro/ (click
meteorit)
My opinion is that it is better to use slow films (100 ASA is better than
200 ASA, which is better than 400 ASA on slide films as 400 ASA is quite
grainy and they use to have poorer colours!). I say Kodak Elitechrome 100 is
a good film for meteor photographing (Kodak is much better than Fuji
Sensia -serie). However, for the "paper films", Fuji Superia 800 is okay
with small grain size.
I recommend also to take a nice horizon wiev for Your photos (like Great
Wall in China, hi!).
I think it can be nice to have f.ex. 50-85 mm objective directed just to
radiant to catch some meteors coming "directly to Your site"! 20-35 mm
objectives are nice for the horizon on the opposite site from radiant as the
meteors come down quite vertically and usually have quite long trails. (On
the horizon on the radiant side the trails are usually shorter. Then You can
use short teleobjectives from 50 mm may be up to 180 mm??.) I like to direct
my 16 mm Fish-Eye from the zenith to the horizon on the opposite side of the
radiant to catch very long trails from the meteors going over My head!!
Earlier in the evening You can try long-trail-Earthgrazers with 16 mm
Fish-Eye!
I think the Perseids are not so easy to catch on film as the ZHR is 100 or
less. Leonids 2001 with ZHR of thousands of meteors should be much easier
target! And in dark site You can use long exposure times and enjoy the show
Yourself, too!
Timo Leponiemi
Hyvinkää, FINLAND

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark S. Williams <n4okx@n4gn.com>
To: meteorobs@atmob.org <meteorobs@atmob.org>
Date: 6. elokuuta 2001 3:00
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) predictions for Perseids 2001?


>Hello all,
>
>Pardon the very basic question here. I've shot perhaps 200 frames during
>both the Persieds and the Leonids over the past 5 years and have yet to
>catch one meteor in any of those frames. I usually shoot 5-10 minute
>exposures depending on seeing conditions.
>
>I usually point the camera at 40-45 degrees "off axis" from the radiant, in
>the case of the Perseids either at  an azimuth of about 75 degrees (ENE) or
>300 degrees (NW) depending on light pollution at our observing sites.
>
>Obviously this year's Perseids will be "polluted" by moonlight, dictating
>shorter exposure times. I plan on 3  to 5 minute exposures depending on the
>seeing conditions and will likely rent a 50mm/f1.2 as suggested  by Mike
>Linnolt and 200 speed film.
>
>So my question is...where to point the camera? I gather from some comments
>here on the reflector that aiming to Polaris might be a good bet.
>
>Am I right about on the "curve" having no "hits" in 200+ frames or am I
>overlooking something else?
>
>I'll have a new  tool in the "arsenal" this year...a tracking drive...my 35
>mm cameras will be piggy-back on a new NexStar 8!
>
>Sorry about the basic nature of my questions...but I'm hoping  to improve
my
>results this year.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Mark S. Williams
>Elizabeth, IN
>
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