You're all invited to my birthday party!!!

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How to Capture the Leonids on Film or Video

Return to Leonids 2001 press release main page


The prospect of a strong meteor display offers you the tantalizing possibility of capturing these streaking visitors with a camera or camcorder. With only a little preparation, you should be able to do just that!


Film photography. Many factors affect how well meteors can be recorded on film, but you can succeed by following basic rules. First, you must use a high-speed film with an ISO rating of 400 or faster. Second, your camera must be able to take long-exposure photographs. Popular point-and-shoot cameras are not suitable for this purpose, though some are equipped with "no flash" settings that might work. Older 35-mm cameras with a "B" exposure setting are best. Third, you need a "fast" (low f/ratio) lens, because the more light your camera collects, the fainter the meteors it can record. Experience shows that a fast lens with a 35- or 50-mm focal length works well.


Set up the camera on a sturdy tripod. Since meteors appear randomly all over the sky, the pointing direction is unimportant. One idea is to point over the northeast horizon, to capture meteors fanning out from the Leonids' radiant point in the constellation Leo. Use a cable release to take each frame, and keep the shutter open for long periods. An exposure of 1 or 2 minutes is enough to capture most bright stars in constellations without obvious streaking. But really long exposures (a half hour or longer) can create dramatic star trails — and of course will capture the most meteors.


Digital photography. Many people now own digital cameras, which often are much more sensitive in low-light levels than traditional film cameras. Unfortunately, however, most digital cameras are unsuitable for astroimaging because they cannot record exposures longer than 1 or 2 seconds, and even those with long-exposure capability often suffer from unacceptable levels of electronic noise. But the technology behind these devices is improving all the time. So if you own a late-model digital camera, check the specifications in your owner's manual to see if long exposures are possible. Your camera may also have a setting to adjust its electronic sensitivity to low-light situations; while this may allow you to record fainter stars (and, with luck, meteors), it also introduces more noise into the images.


Video recorders. Most popular camcorders utilize the same kind of electronic detector used in digital cameras, so the limitations are the same. Worse, you have less flexibility to adjust the exposure time. Consequently, most camcorders will deliver poor results when used on the night sky. The key is your camera's lux rating, or how sensitive it is to low-level light. Older camcorders typically have ratings near 10 lux and need relatively strong light to record the scene. Recent models are more sensitive, near 1 lux; while they may record bright stars, they'll be unable to pick any but the brightest of meteors. Video cameras rated at 0.1 lux or below — the low-light sensitivity found in black-and-white security cameras, for example — have the best chance of recording meteors as they streak across the sky.

 

Wish I had a tripod I don't know what to do now. One thought tells me to just watch the show and relax with a few beers and friends. Another says capture it on film. Maybe I can do both. Oh Queen why do you put me through this torcher?!

 

Go get a big stick.. I dare you. You get a big stick and I'll call your house asking for you. I'll get your husband to believe we are doing something together. So you just better stay away from that big stick idea.

Your inlaws are coming and you'll be on the computer checking forums? Don't you like them? Or is it the Mother in laws "No woman is good enough for my son" attitude that holds you down?

 

Are you going to throw the stick this time?

 

Be nice if she did.

 

Sure would be. Dogs love to fetch sticks.

 

I have some Pixie sticks if you want me to throw you a few.

 

Ever seen a GreatDane on a suger high?

Me either, but it could be fun.

 

I once snorted a pixie stick up my nose. Ask Schrike....but I digress...

I'll see what I can do about pics.

Hmmm...for me, it looks to be about 54 degrees @ midnight and 52 degrees by 5 AM. Of course it's supposed to cloud up around 1 AM...
drat.

~PM~

 

Wow I always dared people to do that.

I'll send you picks if you don't see it

 

what what?

 

You'll get really high if you down 10 pixiesticks War. It's like drinking ten beers!

 

I'm going to try to wake up at 3 so I will be outside by 4 and see the 10,000 meteros per hour

 

yes...........i want to check those meteors out too, should look pretty cool

 

Isn't it a bit early for you to be posting war?

 

CRUD~!
I just looked up at Weather.com and my location is supposed to be cloudy at from midnight to dawn....
Grrr......
~PM~