A Bear in the Air

[JaniceL]

I always try to catch the stars from my deck if the conditions are just right, which really are never just right because I live just south of Portland and the light pollution is pretty intense. But I always try. Tonight I caught a bear.

Ursa Major

 

[HoedadKid]

Nice! My favorite constellation! This would make a neat side by side, framed in black.

What is lighting up the trees in the foreground? porchlight?

 

[JaniceL]

Nice! My favorite constellation! This would make a neat side by side, framed in black.

What is lighting up the trees in the foreground? porchlight?

That's a good idea.

I'm on the second level of a group of apartments and the light is being cast from lamps on a walking path below.

 

[HoedadKid]

Very cool, Janice.

I take a trip in August every year up to the high cascade lakes just to watch the meteor showers.

Space mesmerizes me.

 

[JaniceL]

Very cool, Janice.

I take a trip in August every year up to the high cascade lakes just to watch the meteor showers.

Space mesmerizes me.

I have a friend who shoots a lot at Trillium Lake. He did an awesome composite of the shower last year.

 

[HoedadKid]

I love that whole area. The lack of light pollutio makes for some great stargazing. I like to camp on the osprey management roads on Crane Prarie reservoir. The camping is free and the trout fishing is second to none.

 

[JaniceL]

It's a beautiful lake. I was there last year trying to chase the predicted northern lights. I missed it but the Milky Way was incredible.

Here's the link to the meteor shower I told you about. Gary Randall would not mind me sharing.

Perseid Meteor Shower by Gary Randall, on Flickr

 

[HoedadKid]

WOW. Those are incredible.

I can't even imagine how much work that would have been. If my math is right, that's 3 hours of exposed shutter, and that's just the beginning.

I noticed that he said his ISO was really high and that he didn't like the noise. I wonder if you could shoot something like this around ISO 200, with the right lens...

Spectacular composite! Thanks for sharing this, Janice.

 

[JaniceL]

Pretty incredible, huh?! Did you see the one where he compensated for the rotation of the earth. I doubt you could use ISO 200. It would mean a longer exposure. His lens is already f2.8 When you do that then you see movement in the remaining stars. He has some of those in his 'stream as well.

 

[HoedadKid]

I didn't see the "rotationally compensated for" image. I'm going to look right now.

Yeah, these are incredible. He did an amazing job.

Although a ton of work, shooting a shower sounds like a lot of fun. You never know exactly what you're gonna get.

So cool.