Perseids anyone having a go?

[Carl Reade]

As the Perseid peak is due on the 12th I'm going to have a go depending on the usual factors ie weather....weather and also weather.......

The plan is to use a 2.8 to 8mm lens on the Samsung 2000p and use UFOcapture software. Settings maybe a bit of a challenge, shutter speed etc, with no High sense up required for this job, although I have seen up to x4 used.

Anyone else having a go?

Cheers Carl

[Baz Pearce]

If i get any clear nights, i'll try with my luck with my sammy point n shoot. 8 second exposures should catch something near peak time.

Baz.

[johnno]

I'll have a crack at it, I've got a 2.8-12mm f1.4 lens that came with the Sammy. Do you just use a normal camera tripod and point the cam vertical? never done this sort of thing before.

Carl is that ufo software got motion detection, so you just set it up and leave it.....John

[Carl Reade]

Hi Johnno, Yes just a case of popping it on a tripod and from what I've read pointed slightly away 20 - 30 degrees or so from Perseus.

UFO capture is designed for the job, there is a basic free version and the V2 version which is a 30 day trial. Both are motion capture just setup and leave.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=ufo%20capture&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CD4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsonotaco.com%2Fe_index.html&ei=aq4AUsv8CsWj0QXq-YHgDQ&usg=AFQjCNFRu_mZ4b7JvUqSqWQPC_5jKxE3Tw

They say there should be decent activity from 9th to 14th so hopefully some clear spells in there. This will be my first attempt as well

Cheers Carl

[johnno]

Hi Carl, tried UFO capture, cant get them to work with win 7 64bit, but I've downloaded I SPY and Yawcam and they both worked with a bit of fiddling with the settings so will give them ago.... cheers John

[Carl Reade]

Should work fine Johnno, lens arrived today and tested with UFO both working literally tested 10mins ago, although I'm using XP (32 bit I think).

Stage two, camera settings and were off. Reading other forums the perseids appear to be producing meteors and the odd fireball already. Just the weather to worry about

[Carl Reade]

A bit of afternoon DIY and we have a meteor stand, I knew that Christmas tree holder would be handy

[johnno]

Carl is that one of them tv lens you've got there and how is the focus on it, mine is a cctv lens and the focus is not all that sharp?

[johnno]

This is what I'm using at the moment but need a better one

[Carl Reade]

This is what I'm using at the moment but need a better one

I think mine is pretty much the same, bought it off the usual outlet £15.00 new. It seems to focus fine. There was a 5mm spacing ring that came with the cam which you have to screw on before you add some lenses. I tried it but couldnt get focus so lens is screwed directly into the cam and seems to work ok.

I have a number of Practika lenses lying around but I still need to find the adapter to C mount. They would probably be a lot better.

[shirva]

Got the Honeywell one myself. .also a auto iris 8-60 mm lens...Carl get a tripod for gods sake making us look like amateurs. ...lol..jingle bells jingle bells ...does it track the pole star or north pole star.....made my day....dissapointing news lads astro shed rip...turned it into a budgie avairy for carol...she's not getting any better health wise and not getting out much..so hopefully this will give her an intrest to relieve boredom of being stuck in house....all for love I keep repeating as I look out tge back garden. ..Davy

[Carl Reade]

Got the Honeywell one myself. .also a auto iris 8-60 mm lens...Carl get a tripod for gods sake making us look like amateurs. ...lol..jingle bells jingle bells ...does it track the pole star or north pole star.....made my day....dissapointing news lads astro shed rip...turned it into a budgie avairy for carol...she's not getting any better health wise and not getting out much..so hopefully this will give her an intrest to relieve boredom of being stuck in house....all for love I keep repeating as I look out tge back garden. ..Davy

Got the Honeywell one myself. .also a auto iris 8-60 mm lens...Carl get a tripod for gods sake making us look like amateurs. ...lol..jingle bells jingle bells ...does it track the pole star or north pole star.....made my day....dissapointing news lads astro shed rip...turned it into a budgie avairy for carol...she's not getting any better health wise and not getting out much..so hopefully this will give her an intrest to relieve boredom of being stuck in house....all for love I keep repeating as I look out tge back garden. ..Davy

Hmm, the thought of dragging the EQ setup out just to screw the Sammy onto seemed a bit of overkill

I've also heard that NASA are interested in the design (which I will be patenting). The flaw in the plan is it cannot be used for astronomical purposes late December......

Good man on the avairy hope it gives Carol a boost!

Cheers Carl

[Macavity]

Nice Pole!

Might give it a go... Weather currently predicts grey cloud or clear skies with showers? But

keep threatening to use those old (35mm and 135mm manual) SLR lenses. More sensibly,

a cheap 3.5mm - 8mm C-type f1.4. Covers 1/2" chip at 8mm (not 3.5mm!), for 45 Deg field?

Was thinking about this (always dangerous!): I know it's always stated that any "integration"

should be turned OFF. But clearly meteors take a finite time to cross a wide field:

http://www.amsmeteor...n/angspeed.html

(As ever!) Ignore the maths, go straight to the table?

Instinctively, I was going to try an integration time of about ONE second (too)? That way, the

average meteor fits on one frame, rather than splits over many 1/25s frames. You will lose

brightness on FAST meteors (the problem?), but at least avoid writing Gigabytes of data?

Might be entirely wrong on the above... The ideal is, of course, a triggered system, right...

[Carl Reade]

Nice Pole!

Might give it a go... Weather currently predicts grey cloud or clear skies with showers? But

keep threatening to use those old (35mm and 135mm manual) SLR lenses. More sensibly,

a cheap 3.5mm - 8mm C-type f1.4. Covers 1/2" chip at 8mm (not 3.5mm!), for 45 Deg field?

Was thinking about this (always dangerous!): I know it's always stated that any "integration"

should be turned OFF. But clearly meteors take a finite time to cross a wide field:

http://www.amsmeteor...n/angspeed.html

(As ever!) Ignore the maths, go straight to the table?

Instinctively, I was going to try an integration time of about ONE second (too)? That way, the

average meteor fits on one frame, rather than splits over many 1/25s frames. You will lose

brightness on FAST meteors (the problem?), but at least avoid writing Gigabytes of data?

Might be entirely wrong on the above... The ideal is, of course, a triggered system, right...

Yes Chris I think its going to be an experiment with exposure and frame rates. I believe the trigger software captures a 6 sec AVI then stops. I'm hoping to create a compilation video of all the captures, however it could end up a cloud compilation

[shirva]

Clouded out up here big time..Davy

[nameunknown]

Given my luck with the weather, my best chance at observing any meteor shower is to leave a biscuit tin lid in the back yard and listen for a rattle. Although, I must add, I bought a few small meteorite fragments from the Geological Museum in London very cheaply and people are always impressed when you tell them just how old the object they are touching is (total age, not since it fell).

P

[DaveHKent]

A bit of afternoon DIY and we have a meteor stand, I knew that Christmas tree holder would be handy

Will that work without a cat to hold it up all evening?

I've just been getting a zwo asi120mc with a wide angle lens, so will give that a go. It looks like the trick will be getting the right exposure time. Too little and I will capture nowt, too long and you get a lot of noise ( cooler on my todo list!)

[Carl Reade]

Given my luck with the weather, my best chance at observing any meteor shower is to leave a biscuit tin lid in the back yard and listen for a rattle. Although, I must add, I bought a few small meteorite fragments from the Geological Museum in London very cheaply and people are always impressed when you tell them just how old the object they are touching is (total age, not since it fell).

P

Shame that the first and last you see most of them is them burning up.

[Carl Reade]

Will that work without a cat to hold it up all evening?

I've just been getting a zwo asi120mc with a wide angle lens, so will give that a go. It looks like the trick will be getting the right exposure time. Too little and I will capture nowt, too long and you get a lot of noise ( cooler on my todo list!)

If it survives an attack from a Bengal cat, Its good to go

Will be good to see how the 120 gets on. I take it you will be using the fisheye lens? From what I've read on the forums cooling on the 120 makes a big difference. Exposure is the key. Hopefully we all get something.

Cheers Carl

[DaveHKent]

If it survives an attack from a Bengal cat, Its good to go

Will be good to see how the 120 gets on. I take it you will be using the fisheye lens? From what I've read on the forums cooling on the 120 makes a big difference. Exposure is the key. Hopefully we all get something.

Cheers Carl

Yes, the fish eye. The only outing it has had so far worthless pictures, then I found out about cooling after asking on here if my cam was broken. I have not had a chance to get out since, except when it has been stupidly hot. Hopefully I will get a bit of practice in first.

[shirva]

Used the Google skymap and looked up for twenty min no seeing anything but clouds ...Davy

[Carl Reade]

Cam and software running as I type. Sense at x2 shows major constellations. Picking up odd satellite. So many settings to play with...

[Stargazing_Cliff]

I also shall have me cams on skies for any of persuids will have me famouse fireball cam running

which runs from me old win xp system using motion capture software deskshare webcam monitor 5 also will have me cliffcam which just today made mount for

ready to put on me flat garage roof top and that runs from me mini laptop with xubunto software

with wxastrocapture to capture time lapse with the exposure level settings.

i also shall take couple random snap shots with me Samsung 1050 digital camera using long exposure settings nightscene. which shall put on tripod.

also me space radar reciever will be monitoring meteor peaks.

[Macavity]

... also me space radar reciever will be monitoring meteor peaks.

Not much escapes YOU then?

I do VAGUELY remember that Ham Amateur Radio stuff... "meteor scatter"(??)... "moon-bounce" even(?)

Sadly only ONE lifetime, but Good Luck wiv all of it!

[Carl Reade]

Success! managed a couple of the Perseids and a couple of strays. Sammy was set at sense x2, AGC low which picked up the main constellations and aimed below Cassiopia, Polaris to upper left. UFO capture software is very good! A number of clips put together.

perseids.wmv

Cheers Carl