Tag: Astrophotography

Giminids Meteor Shower 2013

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Woke up at 2:00 AM this morning to run out to Everglades National Park to try and photograph the Giminids Meteor Shower.  The moon did not set until around 3:30 but I wanted to get out there early to figure out the best spot to shoot from.  I did not shoot the setting moon but it was a vibrant yellow and even a little orange as it sank below the horizon.

The Geminids Meteor shower started its peak this morning but is not supposed to reach its full potential until tomorrow morning.  However the moon set earlier today and I decided to give it a try when I had more time before the sunrise.  The meteors were very active and I observed hundreds over the course of 2 plus hours.  However, many were faint with only a handful of really bright fireballs.  Unfortunately, I was not able to capture many of them with my camera due to the random nature of were they would appear.  I only managed to capture one small meteor as it streaked across the sky.

I also shot a few long exposures while I was out there as well as using my flashlight to do some painting with the stars as my backdrop.  Either way I had a great time observing natures fireworks.

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Everglades National Park Astrophotography Trip

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I have not been on a dedicated astrophotography trip in almost 2 years.  The last time I went was during the summer.  I wanted to see if the crisp cool air made the visibility and resulting photography any better than the heavy humidity laden summer air.  I also wanted to see if the Milky Way was visible during the winter time here in South Florida.

The answer to both questions is that yes the cool crisp air makes for better visibility however the Milky Way is not visible in the winter night sky in the northern hemisphere.  The Milky Way moved below the horizon right around the time of sunset.  It will not be visible again at night until the late spring early summer.  Therefore, although shooting during the winter time is more enjoyable due to cooler temperatures and better visibility, the subject matter is less captivating without the Milky Way visible in the night sky.

I took a few shots but primarily spent my time scouting for future trips when the Milky Way reappears.

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Everglades Astrophotography

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This summer I recently stumbled across a website on Astrophotography and thought it might be a fun thing to try.  Unfortunately, since I live so close to Miami there is too much light pollution in my area to successfully take any astrophotography photos.  Therefore, I took a 40 mile trip out into the Everglades to find a dark enough spot.  I ended up at a place called Mahogany Hammock and had a good view of the Milky Way.

I never realized how many stars there were in the sky until I went on this adventure.  It was quite an amazing expierence.  It took me a few tries to figure out what I was doing but after awhile I was able to capture a few decent shots.  One of the techniques I used was to take my flashlight and paint an object in the foreground to make it stand out during the exposure.  I got lucky in one shot and captured a shooting star going through the Milky Way.

I had a great time taking the photos but now do not know what to do with them.  I tried printing one but it did not have the same effect printed as it did on the computer screen.  The computer screen back lighting makes the stars stand out.  Printed they are flatter and the photos loose there appeal.  I will hopefully find a way to effectively print them but until then they will remain screen savers only.