Curve_in Loc: Virginia

I was doing a test shoot in my backyard for star trails. After I combined the images, I saw an odd streak and it turned out to be a meteor!

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SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Very Good Kervin!
Yep, I'd say that's a meteor you captured. Looks like a late Perseid.
And your StarTrails are fine, too. Lots of planes in there, but the straight lines are Satellites.
Satellites Appear as straight white lines because they are reflecting the Sun, and have no navigation lights.
We can't really avoid the plane traffic in our captures. But I think they add an air of Genuine to the compilation.

Keep shootin! You are doing great!

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Great shots Kervin. I really impressed with how clean the shots are particularly the star tail, most cameras will introduce noise on long exposures. Did you create and subtract out the noise with some dark frames? What type of camera and ISO did you use to get these.

Curve_in Loc: Virginia

Thanks! Great info on the satellites, I thought they were planes too.

Curve_in Loc: Virginia

Thanks! I shot these with a Nikon D750 with a Sigma 24mm f/1.8. 30 second exposures, f/2.8, iso 200. I processed the RAW files with a program named darktable. I combined the jpg files with GIMP.

I can hardly wait to get in a very dark place! Here's the reading from where I shot these:

Brightness
2.46 mcd/m2

Artif. bright.
2290 μcd/m2


Here's where I'll be next week:

Brightness
0.172 mcd/m2

Artif. bright.
0.449 μcd/m2

lwhitlow

I am just learning to do star trails. How many exposures did you have? Just curious:-) I love your photos. When I was doing 30 second exposures, I had a lot of dashes in my photo after stacking with PS. I am trying to get better where I don't have the dashes. Want the nice trails like you have in your photo. Thank you for sharing.

Curve_in Loc: Virginia

There are 160 images in the star trail. When I looked at your star trail, I think your camera is off too long between shots. That's why you have dots rather than lines. When I started, it took me a while to figure out how to the camera to take one picture after another with minimal time between. If you search my username in this section of the forum, you can read my write-up.

lwhitlow

Thank you very much! I will look it up. I will be posting the one I just finished. I used 30 minutes and only one came out because of the dew on the lens, and that one had dew on the edges, so had to crop it. There was a security light on, so I know that also affected the outcome. I have even though about using an umbrella in some way to try and keep the dew off the lens, but haven't figured out a way - lol.

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alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

The first one looks like a meteor, but the object in the second one by Polaris looks like an Iridium flare. Bright in middle and fading on both ends. Just my two cents worth. Good job on both.

tomad Loc: North Carolina

Great shot. How long of a time period did it take to make the 160 photos in that shot?

Curve_in Loc: Virginia

Thanks! The bright in the middle object is a meteor. In the startrail individual photos, one image has the streak going from left to right and the next has it in finishing the trail.

Curve_in Loc: Virginia

160 / 2 = 80 minutes

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

30 seconds per, times 160, equals 4800 seconds.
4800 / 60 equals 80 minutes of images.
Not counting the latency between the images during which the data is storing. So depending on the cards speed, you wind up with a little less exposure, or a little more time if using a full 30 seconds exposure, then adding the latency of storage behind the image.
Either way, it's pure math. I use settings that put the storage within the 30 seconds. So if your card wants 2 seconds to store, set your Interval at 27-28 seconds, and allow the storage latency to fill in to the 30 mark.
By doing mine that way I can accurately know what I will get during a given time period. Or 2 images per minute.
I also can readily set for 20 second imaging/latency, and acquire 3 images per minute. 15 seconds/ 4 images per minute. Etc. Etc.
It's kind of fun to run the break downs. And is fun for doing time lapse photography here on Earth as well.
Like a flower blooming, or Humming Birds at a feeder.
https://youtu.be/xmjrmW0TtZk

Then using Windows Movie Maker to compile Images into the video. A night at Joshua Tree National Park...
https://youtu.be/O5hf0szmKVE

But you can compile a huge amount of images allowing your camera to run all night, or as long as it's battery lasts. I've gathered more than 3000 in a single night, using my Intervalometer.
So I can imagine wearing out a DSLR doing this. Just beating the mechanism to death.

alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

Thanks for your answer. I did notice there was a break in the central part which had me thinking you might have actually caught the satellite.

Curve_in Loc: Virginia

I'm thinking you should try for one good image first. The security lights will be an issue. Find a place in the shadows that keeps the camera in the dark. That should help.
There was some discussion of latency. That is the speed the the camera writes the images to the card. Since I do like doing star trails, I choose the fastest card and I choose to write a single raw file.