Stationary Photography

Standard lens or wide-angle lens are used. Load the high speed film, open the lens to its lowest f/number and focus at infinity. Select 'B' for the shutter setting. Mount the camera on a tripod and aim it at the desired region. Use the shuttle release to begin the exposure, which can last for several minutes to an hour.

Stationary photography is also known as "star trail photography", since the images of stars will appear as trails because of the Earth's rotation. Long exposure makes the stars trails overlap one another, rendering the identification of constellations more difficult. Detail information of the regions being photographed on each film is beneficial to the compilation of data. Stationary photography should be supplemented with visual observation. By comparing these two sets of data, we can deduce the exact positions where the meteors appear, and the magnitude of the faintest meteors that are captured.

Shooting can stop as soon as a bright meteor appears. Since the endpoints of the meteor trail and the star trails are captured simultaneously, this helps us identify the meteor’s exact location and the meteor shower to which it belongs. Photos without proper documentation have low scientific values, since the time of appearance of the meteors is uncertain. On an ordinary night, an average of 1 meteor can be imaged every ten hours, but more should be captured when a meteor shower is active.

Star trail and Meteor

Guiding Photography

Guiding Photography using equatorial mount or synchronized motor enables the photographer to capture the same number of meteors as stationary photography does. The advantage of this kind of photography is that it helps the astronomer capture the meteor's motion across the star field. This can reduce a considerable amount of calculation work and minimize subsequent errors. Guiding Photography should be also supplemented by visual observations, so that the time of appearance of the meteors can be confirmed.