Persied's Peak

[CaraRose]

We saw some incredibly big ones where we were in Michigan. The night after peak night was better than peak though.

The moon was ridiculously bright once it rose though. It washed out a lot of the stars.

I think I might have caught one. I did get some nice star trails though.

[CaraRose]

The first shot I think I caught a meteor. The rest are just star trails.

[Speed]

Hey CaraRose,

It looks like you caught a satelite passing overhead. Meteors tend to stay the same brightness as they burn, unless they blow up (called a bolide) in which case they are brighter at the end. You have a faint trail, then it brightens, then it's a faint trail again. This is characteristic of a satelite. The brightening is from the solar panels (usually) or the side of the satelite reflecting the sun. Iridium satelites in particular are known for their brightening, and is referred to as an "Iridium flare".

I have captured quite a few satelites, meteors and aircraft while doing astrophotography. During one exposure during a meteor shower, I captured two satelites passing through the frame. I never saw them, but they were on the negative.

You captured some very nice star trails. A dark site will amaze you with what you can capture with your camera. Great job, and thanks for posting these.