Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 56

AUGUST 2024 OBSERVING
First Exposure
exposures (the maximum most cameras
will allow in Manual mode) and to
Continuous Release. When I lock the
shutter-release button down on the shutter-release
cable, the first exposure begins
immediately, and the camera continues
to fire 30-second exposures for as long as
the button is locked down (or until the
camera runs out of battery power).
An intervalometer represents a more
sophisticated and versatile option.
Fortunately, such devices are inexpensive
and easy to come by - just be sure
to purchase one designed to function
with your camera's specific make and
model. An intervalometer works with
your camera in Bulb mode and lets you
program a sequence of exposures of
practically any duration, and even set
the delay time between frames if you
like. I've successfully shot many startrail
images with a series of 2-minute
exposures captured over the course of a
couple of hours.
Despite the advantages an intervalometer
offers, I recently reverted to the
more basic method after an attempt to
get images at a remote location failed
when cold temperatures killed the
batteries in my intervalometer. I came
home with some nice nightscape shots,
but star trails were out of the question.
Sadly, I won't be able to revisit that location
any time soon. The lesson here is to
bring extra batteries - or don't use an
intervalometer at all.
Another reason I prefer the more
basic shutter release is because the
intervalometer model I used didn't
allow back-to-back exposures without
at least a 1-second delay between shots.
With some lens focal lengths, that
produces visible gaps in the star trails
instead of smooth, continuous streaks.
Practical Matters
Star trails by themselves are visually
interesting, but for a really successful
photograph you also need to identify
an interesting foreground to include
in your shots. Once you've found your
56 AUGUST 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE
pPUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Top: This single, 180-second exposure captured at the Texas
Star Party shows some star trailing. Note the longest trails are those closest to the celestial equator.
Middle: Several frames combined in Photoshop start to reveal significant star trails but retain
the same foreground brightness. Bottom: The final, color-tweaked image displays impressive star
trails resulting from a set of exposures totaling 2.7 hours. The Milky Way's leading edge is clearly
visible even in the combined image.

Sky & Telescope - August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - August 2024

Contents
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 1
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 3
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 4
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 5
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 6
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 7
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 8
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 9
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 10
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 11
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 12
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 13
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 14
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 15
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 17
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 18
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 19
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 20
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 21
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 22
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 23
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 24
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 25
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 26
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 27
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 28
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 29
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 30
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 31
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 33
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 34
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 35
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 36
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 37
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 38
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 39
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 40
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 41
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 42
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 43
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 45
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 46
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 47
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 49
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 50
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 51
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 54
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 55
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 56
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 57
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 58
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 61
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 62
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 63
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 66
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 67
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 69
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 70
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 71
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 72
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 73
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 76
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 77
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 78
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 79
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 80
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 81
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Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 83
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - 84
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - August 2024 - Cover4
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