Star Trails ... Star Dots

It's really quite lovely at 3:45 in the morning when the kid needs to go outside.  It's quiet, only because the trains go by at 3:30 every morning.  Ask me how I know that!  This time change thing is really a pain in the patoo .. because while I USED to get out of Bingo at 10:00, it will now be 11:00 MY time.  Ugh!!!

I try not to dwell on that, but rather will schedule a nap for this morning.  Maybe that will help.

Just for fun, I checked on the rig batteries.  Leaving the panels off on the sunrise side of the building is just enough for the solar panels to keep it charged to 100%. I like that.  I only have to worry about the starting battery, for which I got a charger, I just haven't hooked it up yet.  

On the way back in, look what I see!  Yeah, it's a bird bath, but I've been putting seed in it for well over a year trying to coax the birds out.  This is the first time I've seen anyone eating at it.  There were five little sparrows (or whatever they are) each taking their turn at the trough.  Tiny little guys.

Back inside, it wasn't the most fun of days, but I got back to sewing a bit on this quilt.  It's more of a lap quilt.  Three more squares and two borders and it will be done.  On to better and prettier things, though I do like the bear paws.

Since I haven't been out hardly at ALL with my camera over the last year, I decided to try something new.  Learning anything on this beast is not easy.  The Menu consists of about 500 options, and 500 more if you want to add your own.  

Let's try some night photography ... STAR TRAILS.   It's complicated ... intervals, shots, timers, F-stops, shutter speed, ISO, White Balance and a myriad of other things.  I'm sure there is an instruction book around here somewhere, but it would take me hours to find it.  

I set it up the night before, not really having a clue .... and got this.  Looks good, yes?  I stood out in the cold for an hour to get this!!  I have to admit though, there are a LOT more stars up there than you can see with the naked eye.  I'm amazed.  Or maybe I shouldn't be because the wind was blowing up a storm, causing the tripod to move right and left. This is bad ... very bad ... not at all what I was trying to do.

This is what it SHOULD look like.  I grabbed this from the internet.  This actually requires you be on the top of a very cold mountain somewhere, not in my back yard three miles from town where light abounds.  It's supposed to be DARK.  You can see the town lights at the bottom of the above picture.

After spending an hour on the phone talking to someone who actually knows how to do this (but on a different brand of camera), I set up again last night .... on AUTO so I didn't have to stand out in the cold.  One hour of shooting later, it finally stopped.

I haven't processed those pictures yet.  It took 70 images (should have been 90 but I got really sleepy) before shutting down.  It takes quite a while to download all those images and STACK them one on top of another.  I'll try to do that today and see what shows up.  That process is just as frustrating if you don't know what you are doing on a brand new Photoshop program.  It makes my brain work overtime.

Mr. Sleepy Eyed Cooper was ready for bed WAY before the camera was done.  This was me two minutes later.

Ready for another rousing night of BINGO??  Me either, but it's going to be here in a few short hours.  Time to start gearing up in my suit of armor!!