Geminids and Lovejoy Q2

[Phil Hart]

Here's my effort on the Geminids this weekend and a bonus comet!

Some meteors captured at the ASV Star-Be-Cue on Saturday night and more from home on Sunday night:

SmugMug Geminid Meteors (http://philhart.smugmug.com/CometsAndMeteors/Meteors/i-JTcxX5m)

This image is with a Canon 6D and 24mm lens. Background image is 30 secs @f2.8, ISO3200. Meteors captured in individual frames of 2-3 secs, @f1.4, ISO6400. I rolled nearly 9000 of these very short images over two nights from two different locations to capture these. This composite places each meteor in its correct position relative to the stars and constellations so you can see the position of the radiant in the constellation Gemini at the bottom of the frame with Orion in the centre.

SmugMug Comet Lovejoy Q2 (http://philhart.smugmug.com/CometsAndMeteors/Comets/i-DkJQM3r)

Saturday night (~1300UT, 13th Dec 2014). Vixen R200SS, Canon 60Da. Single 4 minute shot at ISO1600. Taken with the Astronomical Society of Victoria's Astrophotography Observatory. The gallery also has a stacked image using Deep Sky Stacker but I don't think the 40 minute result is any better.

Phil

[cometcatcher]

Both pics very nice Phil. I saw a Geminid last night while shooting the comet. Hearing lots of meteor pings on the radio too.

[ChrisM]

Very pleasing composition Phil.
Chris

[Steve Pattie]

Very nice pic of Comet Lovejoy. Wished I had have stayed around to see it taken instead of moving off to do some visual work. Sob.

[Domol]

Just to contrast my experience, I tried catching Geminids from the same site with 8mm f/4 lens at ISO 3200 using a Canon 40D. I didn't get one! Great Work Phil!

[Phil Hart]

Thanks Chris and cometcatcher :-)



Seeing it on the screen in the dome is much the same as seeing it here :-)



f/4 is getting slow for meteor work. I was at f/1.4.. three stops faster makes a difference. ask santa?!

[jjjnettie]

That's a sweet little galaxy with the comet, great Geminids capture too. :)