Star Trails

[Timmy2TARs]

Had a go at these last night, varying between 5 and 20 minute exposures. Here's a 20 minute exposure at ISO50, f5.6. Canon 5D, 17-40mm.



Anyone else done some? I'd love to see some where there's little light or air pollution.

[Nacnud]

Current home page of www.spaceweather.com has a cracker.

[Timmy2TARs]

That's great - thanks for that! Make you giddy just looking at it!

[Tuna]

Here's mine:



Edited to add... the size reduction down to 750 pixels does it no favours. Canon 350D for about 15 minutes in our back garden. Hoping to do some more soon.

Edited by Tuna on Wednesday 14th March 09:58

[luca brazzi]

Quality pics chaps....good topic. Will upload one of a shooting star I captured by luck a couple of years back....thought it was a failed rocket launch, then it was pointed out to me that it was more like a meteorite the size of a pea

LB

[Altrezia]

Great idea for photos - Never thought of doing it!

I'll try tonight

[Timmy2TARs]

Tuna - nice one! I presume there's little light pollution out your way?

[gregorio!]

Great photo's!! what a cool effect.

[bramley]

A good trick is to find the north star (as the earlier shots in this thread show) and get that star in your shot as the other stars rotate around it. I can find it in the sky, but I can't for the life of me explain how to do it! Shame there's way too much light polution in cheltenham to make it happen but I'm off to a village in the south coast of devon in april and will give it a go then.

Theres a bit about star trails in the Night and Low Light Photography book if anyone's interested.

[luca brazzi]

Not a star trail...but hey


.
Zoomed in...

[Charlies Angel]

well seeing some of your star photos I thought id give it ago - however on my 400D the longest I can set the shutter speed for the long exposure is 30 seconds - I have only just started to try and learn the manual settings on my canon so i am not sure how to extend the time, and I dont know whether you even can.

Nik

[bramley]

you can, there is a setting called bulb. I used to have a 350d but can't remember the setting now!

Edited to say check the canon website if you haven't got the manual handy

Edited by bramley on Wednesday 14th March 19:53

[Charlies Angel]

Yea I have found that setting - do I just put it on that and click to take the photo??? Is it set already to a time period?


edit to say: hang on a min - I have stand in the same place for 20mins with my finger on the button??? I dont have a remote release (jessops/london camera exchange dont have any stock). Maybe i will forget that idea then.

Edited by Charlies Angel on Wednesday 14th March 19:56

[bramley]

no press once to open shutter, wait for 20 mins or so, then press button again to close shutter. Obviously need a triopd but to avoid shake when you press the button hold something dark over the lens then any movement won't be picked up

[Charlies Angel]

oh when I click the button once it opens then as soon as i release my finger it takes the photo - i may need to do some more investigation into how to get it to work. Thanks for you help though

[bramley]

sounds like you haven't got the bulb setting on. If you have it will say bulb on the lcd display?

[VxDuncan]

If the 400D/350D is the same as the 300D you can rig up a remote release with the correct size headphone jack and a toggle switch. www.covingtoninnovations.com/dslr/CanonRelease.html

Failing that it's an ebay job.

Do a search for "Barn Door Tracker" or "Haig Mount" if you are into this sort of thing. Couple of bits of lumbar, a hinge and a bit of threaded rod and you have a tracking mount.

My POOR first attempt in Africa:
www.pbase.com/duncan_c/astro

[puggit]

How to find the North Star Essentially just find the big dipper, and follow the edge of the frying pan until it hits the little dipper

You can calculate the apparent brightness of the stars by measuring the width of the star trail and comparing it to others

[bramley]

yup thats it, i couldn't remember if it was the big dipper or the little dipper. I've always been disappointed by the northstar - you'd think it would be the biggest brightest one, but it isn't.

[cw42]

Just found the bulb setting on my 300d.
On the top wheel, with all the different settings on, select the big M.
On the little finger wheel by the shutter, scroll down past 30" and BULB displays.
Press and shutter opens.
Press and shutter closes

Go outside, get real cold, and get some good pickies