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The meteor shower Eta Aquarid will reach its climax on May 5 and 6, 2019. Although technically the most prolific meteor shower of the year is the Geminids in December, when it is possible to see up to the end of the day. at 120 shooting stars, the Aquarids are worth trying. outside – especially at night, temperatures should be more favorable for most astrophotographers.
Of course, with the good advice of astrophotography, it is possible to shoot shooting stars any night of the year. But meteors have incredibly intense activity – and plenty of opportunities for breathtaking night sky photography. So, what is the meteor shower Eta Aquarid? And why does this happen?
The meteors seem to come from Eta Aquarii, a brilliant constellation of Aquarius. "For inhabitants of northern latitudes, the radiant will not be very high in the sky.If you find yourself in this position, you will need a dark-sky site with a relatively undeveloped southern horizon to take full advantage of the meteors, "says Space.com.
(Image: Diana Robinson Photography / Getty Images)
What is a shooting star? Essentially, it's just dust. The Earth's orbit often takes it through piles of debris left in the solar system by comets and asteroids. Most of the time, they are just dust particles – no bigger than grains of sand – in which the earth's atmosphere sinks. Gradually, these particles briefly animate and become meteors in disintegration. If you are in complete darkness on the night side of the Earth, you will see a shooting star. The particle stack originally Eta aquarids originates from Halley's comet, but their respective paths have separated a long time ago.
The problem is that a shooting star usually lasts only a fraction of a second – though sometimes as long as a second – when it crosses the night sky. It does not give you enough time to react. Therefore, the shutter of your camera must be already open, ready and wait for the light of a shooting star to reach its image sensor.
What is so special about Eta Aquarids?
Although less known than the Perseids and Geminids, Eta Aquarid meteor shower can rain between 30 and 60 meteors per hour. If the moon is away, the experience can be amazing – and this year the new moon will coincide with the top of the display, which promises excellent conditions for astrophotographers .
Read more: How to photograph the International Space Station
Although the Eta Aquarids meteor shower is officially taking place from April 19th to May 28th, the peak of the night, when the activity should be maximum, takes place from May 5th to 6th, 2019.
When and where to see Eta Aquariids in 2019
Plan the campsite. If the sky is clear, your camera should be pointed at the night sky between midnight and the first hours of May 5th in Europe and the first hours of May 6th in North America.
This excellent online resource can tell you the best times for your location and point you in the right direction.
If the weather is bad for peak parties, clearly state your priorities; it is better to go for a clear sky and a little less meteor a few days before or after the planned peak than to plan an exit to a dark sky at night, in case of bad weather.
It is important to choose a lightly polluted site because you will open the shutter for at least 25 seconds. Thus, you will get a lot of light. interactive map of global light pollution and the Searching for dark sites are very useful for locating a good location away from the lights of urban areas. However, if you can not travel outside a city, you can still try shooting shooting stars. Find a place where no floor lamp will interfere with your composition and install your camera in the shadow of a building.
You will need a DSLR or mirrorless camera to capture the meteors
Our best buying guide for astrophotography tools offers you all the equipment you will need to photograph the meteor showers. However, here is a brief overview of the key kit you will need …
DSLR
You can use any DSLR or mirrorless camera as it has a manual mode and you can shoot long exposure images for at least 30 seconds. However, a camera with a full-frame sensor is the best option because it will capture more light and will generate less noise in images when it is used at higher ISOs.
Wide angle lens
Since you want to capture as much night sky as possible to maximize your chances of shooting shooting stars, a wide-angle lens is the best. Somewhere between a focal length of 28mm and 10mm is ideal. Most astrphotographers use wide angle prime numbers, so they have a fast maximum aperture of f / 2.8 or greater.
Tripod
Keeping your camera steady is an absolute must for this long exposure project, so you'll need the best tripod you can get. If there is wind, do not use the extension arm of the tripod. Check that the horizon is level before taking a picture.
Other gear
A trigger cable that can be locked, or an intervalometer or remote control, will be useful for taking long, repeated exposures without having to manually press the shutter button every 25 seconds.
Even the summer nights can be cold after midnight, especially if you are stopping while your camera is doing its job, so also take a coat and a folding chair.
Where to point the camera: composition
Taking long exposures is the easiest way to capture a shooting star. Credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls
Although it's tempting to point your camera at the radiant, the meteors can just as easily appear anywhere in the sky.
By pointing to the radiant, you will likely miss many meteors, so it's best to get something interesting in the foreground – maybe an old barn, a tree or a sculpture – in your composition to add some interest. In this way, you will get a beautiful astrophotography picture with one or two shooting stars.
In addition, the Milky Way will be visible in the sky in May, if you are in a dark sky site, it is. You can evaluate this as an attractive backdrop for a shooting star.
Take the shot
When the lens of your lens is set to infinity and its aperture is about f / 2.8 (or as open as possible), choose ISO 800 or 1600 (or even more if you are in a very dark site) and set the shutter speed. at 25sec. Take the picture, and if you are not satisfied with the result as a stand-alone picture, make adjustments and resume.
Once you are happy, here is the fun part; take the same photo 50 to 200 times at Raw in the space of an hour or hours. Just be careful not to light or push your tripod during the shooting period; Stay in the dark and stay well back.
Whatever it is, you will get hundreds of views of the night sky, some with shooting stars. If that's all you're looking for, you can extract the images with a shooting star (or even two) and drop the rest. However, if you use the free software StarStaX, you can drag and drop the 200 photos to create a trail of stars image … featuring shooting stars, of course. This is also possible on Adobe Photoshop.
Read more: How to capture star trails
The Perseids are the most reliable meteorite rain of the year. Image: Jamie Carter
When is the next meteor shower?
There are other nights in the year when you are just as likely to see shooting stars …
Another meteorite shower created by Halley's Comet is that of the Orionids, which will culminate on October 21 and 22, 2019. The most prolific of the year, the Geminids, will culminate on December 14 and 15, 2019. You can Also photograph the Perseids in your newspaper – which will culminate on August 12 and 13 this year.
Read more:
Astrophotography: guides, tips and videos to make your best photos
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