Just A Reminder...The Perseids Are Tonight...

[Speed]

And tomorrow night. OK, actually, they run all week, but tonight and tomorrow night are the peak times.

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...cle_1557_1.asp

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8840249/

The sky and telescope article has observing and photography tips.

[mjs1973]

Thanks for the reminder Speed. It's been overcast and rainy here all day. Hopefully it will clear up tonight, and tomorrow night.

[opus]

waaaaah! we've had clear skies for weeks, but tonight it's dunderstorming!

[SmartWombat]

Looks like it'll be cloudy tonight
I'll keep an eye open though, we'll be at the Silverstone 1000km race tomorrow night

[schrackman]

Speed, any quick advice for camera settings? I am up in the hills this evening and it is plenty dark here, no city lights. Would love to catch a shot of a Perseids tonight. Answer me, please!!!

[paulnj]

USE A WIDE ANGLE , as shallow a DOF as possible, long exposure 30 seconds to a few minutes and keep repeating the process. Focus near infinity too

That how I have done it.

CLOUDS HERE 2 nights in a row

[schrackman]

Thanks Paul. I got my wide angle lens, focus on infinity, and my shutter release cable at the ready. f / stop??

Ah, I just saw where speed mentioned some photography tips. Just found this info on a website:

How to Photograph Meteors
Taking pictures of meteors requires a great deal of patience and luck. Since it is impossible to predict when a meteor will streak across the sky, your best chance of capturing a meteor on film is through long exposure photography. Following are some photography tips:

Tip #1: Get away from any lights.
Tip #2: Use the widest angle lens you have for your camera.
Tip #3: If possible, set the camera's f/stop at the widest setting (smallest number: i.e. f4)
Tip #4: Set your camera on a tripod.
Tip #5: Attach a cable release, if you have one.
Tip #6: Aim the camera towards the east, rather high up in the sky.
Tip #7: Click the shutter open and wait.

The longer the shutter is open, the more of a chance you have of actually catching a meteor on film. However, if the shutter is open for longer than about 25 seconds, the camera will start recording the Earth's rotation and the stars will become elongated. The Earth is turning your camera away from the fixed stars, so the pinpoints of light will gradually streak. The longer the shutter is open, the longer the star streaks. If you are lucky, a meteor will still show up on your picture as a bright streak, usually headed in a different direction than all of the stars.

Also found this other neat website. Man, I want filters that can do this! http://www.spaceweather.com/