Meteor Showers .... Ha!!!

There are lots of cool things to photograph in the world at night, like the huge Harvest Moon from a few weeks ago.  When it's BIG and shines brightly in the sky, it's much easier to see and capture digitally, like I did here.

Stars are a different story altogether.  They are just too far away.  When I saw all the hoopla about meteor showers the last two nights, I decided to see if I could capture that too.  Since you never know where they are going to happen, you need a VERY wide angle lens.  Unfortunately, that means the opposite of telephoto, making it even more difficult.

It took me fifteen minutes to find the correct mount to match the camera to the tripod.  Once outside, it didn't take long to figure out it was in the 30's temperature wise and I was freezing.  Back inside for a coat.  That's when frustration set in back OUTSIDE.  I couldn't get the tripod to swivel low enough to point UP at the stars.

I drug everything back inside where I had sufficient light.  Got it!!!  Once set up again, I thought I was on my way.  Nope!!!  There MUST be an adjustment somewhere that keeps the head exactly where you set it because the camera's weight wouldn't let it stay where I wanted.  In the past, I just ignored this irritation.  Yeah, I went back inside to find a screwdriver and tighten the head.

At long last, I'm set up, pointing to the sky and waiting ....... and waiting ........

I took a couple of test shots, only to discover my neighbor's garage light was shining so bright, it lessened the brightness of the stars.  Thoughts of a BB gun rushed through my head.

I took several images like this one, but there was no flaming debris flying through the sky.  By now my feet are freezing and I can't feel my toes.  Okay, I admit, I had my slippers on.  Back inside for wool socks and tall boots.

Here's the thing I learned about meteor showers.  They generally happen around 3-4:00 in the morning, at which time I'm snug in my bed.  You use a wide angle lens to capture as much of the sky as possible because you never know where they will happen.

Finally, I saw a streaking light I thought MUST be a plane.  I watched it for five seconds as it got brighter and brighter when it finally dawned on me THAT was what I wanted to photograph.  Too bad for me it was about a foot right of my camera angle.  RATS!!!  I missed it!!

Now that I knew what I was looking for, I persevered for maybe an hour.  That was enough freezing cold for me with nothing to show for it.  I took one last very long 2 minute exposure of Orions Belt so I could at least have SOMETHING to show.  With the lens open that long (which really isn't long when you think about it) you can see the movement of the earth.  The stars become lines instead of dots.  

That's it!!  That's all I got for all the trouble I went through to get set up.  I might have gone to bed with the alarm set for 3:00 am ...... ummmmmm  ..... NO.  I'm too old to be experiencing below 30 degree temperatures just for one picture.  So much for meteor showers!!

It was Friday Night Dinner time at the Elks lodge last night and the Bingo Crew got to eat for free, anything on the menu.  I had something I've never eaten before, but that's tomorrow's story!!