Star Trali

[tommyteaparty]

Hi Guys, this is my first post and i hope i've posted in the right area.

This is my first attempt at capturing star trails. and the main question i have is; Why are the trails not continuous? there are small breaks in the trails.

And, how can i correct this for next time?

Cheers.

http://flic.kr/p/96i4tM




Samsung NX10 - tripod - remote shutter locked - continuous drive

I put a spot light on the trees in the first frame.

f8

30sec x 98 photos

ISO 100

33mm focal length

.JPG

[navcom]

Hi Tommy!

It could be due to a couple different things. How long did the camera take to reset after each shot in your 98-shot series? Sometimes there is a pause between shots. This pause would show up as a small dash in the stars.

I would also consider that it might be due to noise reduction settings on the camera that force the camera to take a "black" image after each shot. This image is then used to compare to the original image and eliminate any sensor noise. But I don't really think this is your problem as that would leave consistent dashes since it would record for 30 seconds and then pause for 30 seconds each time. The dashes would be as long as the pauses.

It might be as simple as variable star light intensity or atmospheric conditions sporadically diminishing a stars light. Here is one I did a couple years ago. It's not real easy to see on this smaller image but there are a few "dots" similar to what you are experiencing. It is most noticeable where the trails are longer (that is, the farther they are from Polaris). This is simply due to varying intensity of the stars. The quicker the star moves relative to your location, the better chance you will pick up this variation.



If you have a lot of surrounding lights from the street or a city, it can variably interfere with your shot as well, causing moments when the stars are not as bright as other moments.

Hope that helps!

[tommyteaparty]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll do the noise reduction post and change the ISO to capture more light from the stars.

And thanks for sharing your photograph, it's beautiful and a fantastic concept through the window pointed at the pole (north or south?)

[navcom]

North Pole. Taken from the northern U.S. on a cold winter evening.

Post your results when you get to it!