Suggestion for shooting stars?

[Tom Carman]

Anybody have suggestions for the best way to capture shooting stars tonight?


The news this evening said it would be the best night of the year with +/- 300 shooting stars to be seen between 9.00 and 10.30 eastern time zone.





Settings?


Lens choice?





Thanks for your responses!

[Jon Ruyle]

I've never tried, but some tips are posted at space.com



http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/leonids_photographing.html


I'm not sure I agree with the suggestion of using fast film (or high iso... 800-1000). I would think, figure out what the longest exposure you can get without trails (unless you have a driven mount, or unless you want trails) and set the iso so the skyglow isn't overwhelming at that exposure time. (But probably you should listen to the guy who has actually tried it [])


I would use in-camera long exposure noise reduction. A wide lens will let you capture more of the sky (thus increasing your chance of getting something) and also allow for a longer exposure without trails.

[Daniel Browning]

I would second Jon's advice. The very best thing you can do is get away from light pollution and far out into the country. A good intervalometer ($40 on ebay) will automate the picture taking process. I think meteors combined with star trails are nice. Shoot raw. The wider the better. Shoot 10mm if you have it.


One of the tricky things is battery life. My 5D2 only lasts one or two hours on a single Canon battery, so I use a deep cycle marine battery and Hutech adapter.