Geminids help please Photographing

[the lemming]

I posted this in the widefield forum but there is a bit of tumble-weed going on, So I was hoping for a bit of help here.

I've been waiting all year for my first ever viewing of the Geminids and I'd appreciate any help or advice to get the best images that I can.

I have a GH5, lawa 7.5mm lens and a sturdy tripod. I also have a Dark Sky location near me that is Milky Way class so I think I've touched all the basics.

I'm hoping to get a timelapse where I can mix and match some of the stills to create a Still composite of several good streaks as well.

Thing is, I've never done a star timelapse before, so I would appreciate settings advice.

Cheers

[pete_l]

You should do at least one dry run. Experiment with different ISO settings and exposure times. Remember that while dim stars show up better on longer exposures, that doesn't work for meteors. They are literally gone in a flash! Check that the battery in your camera will last long enough. Taking continuous images drains the battery quickly.

Another thing, make sure you have a large enough card in your camera. My set up (using a Raspberry Pi) takes over 3,000 images in a night. Not only does that need a lot of storage, but it's a pain to have to inspect each one for meteors.

[the lemming]

15 hours ago, pete_l said:

You should do at least one dry run. Experiment with different ISO settings and exposure times. Remember that while dim stars show up better on longer exposures, that doesn't work for meteors. They are literally gone in a flash! Check that the battery in your camera will last long enough. Taking continuous images drains the battery quickly.

Another thing, make sure you have a large enough card in your camera. My set up (using a Raspberry Pi) takes over 3,000 images in a night. Not only does that need a lot of storage, but it's a pain to have to inspect each one for meteors.

Doing a dry run before a meteor shower is a bit tricky, as there won't be any meteors till showtime, for me to do the dry run.

I've done a few timelapses of stars and have a good understanding of the settings, however I am after any further tips or advice on how to get the best of a meteor shower.

If you can help then, I'd be very appreciated.

[theropod]

Don’t anchor your focus on any particular part of the sky, or don’t limit yourself to just one part of the sky.

Build a barn door tracker, or buy one of the commercial trackers for long exposures.

if you have live view, and can see a meteor on screen, end the shot immediately.

relax and keep your camera company. Nothing beats catching a meteor you watched fall.

Edited December 11, 2020 by theropod
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