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(meteorobs) photographing meteors
Seemingly this should be pretty easy. But as the
discussion has shown, there are lots of things to consider and factor in. When
it comes to non-scientific- aesthetically pleasing photos of meteors it can get
even more complicated because it depends on the individual's definition of
what is pleasing.
Faint streaks on trailed star fields are the goal
of most first time shooters with the hope of catching a 'big one'. As time
goes by the 'bar is raised' and the shooter attempts to systematically
capture an image of a neg. magnitude with terminal burst.
For my purposes, aesthetics means - no star
trails. I accomplish this with a barn door guider. The camera can be aimed
anywhere and tracks the stars. The 'guiding' can be done with a one rpm motor,
or hand guided. I hand guide but use an audio tape of WWV rather than a
stopwatch to control the rotation of the screw. This allows me to view the field
while guiding.
As far as where to aim.... I generally aim the
camera about 45 degrees from the radiant and align the long axis of the film
with the direction of the burn.
The outburst of 1998 Leonids showed a strong
tendency to have repeaters in the same area of sky. So I will give strong
consideration to cutting an exposure short and repositioning the camera
(normally a silly notion).
Photographs of the raidant can be spectacular
(Leonids '66) and should be considered should the Leonids have a burst of
activity.
I strongly second the notion of going for grazing
Persieds in the evening. I will probably try for these with a video camera. They
tend to be bright though sparse. Running an hour of video may be
rewarding.
Tom