Startrails

Celestial Pole - Motion - Simplicity

Startrails over Copperbreaks

Perhaps the easiest shots you can get. All you need is a simple tripod and a camera with a wide lens and shutter release cable. These pictures were taken with the camera pointed towards Polaris, the "North Star." The long exposure causes the stars to trail in arcs, tracing the path they take during a night. These shots are a clear indication as to how the rotation of the earth causes the apparent celestial motion. Polaris appears as the stationary center of rotation in the northern hemisphere, and in this exposure is exactly 34 degrees above the horizon, which corresponds to the exact latitude of Copperbreaks State Park where these images were taken. Such images, if taken in the southern hemisphere, would lack a bright star at the center of the rotation.

Location: Copperbreaks State Park, near Quanah, Texas
Seeing: 7/10
Transparency: 8/10
Date and Time: September 27, 2003 @ 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM CST
Equipment: Nikon F2 with 28mm lens @ f/8
Length: 55 minutes each
Film: Kodak Max 200

Processing Information: Levels adjustment and contrast increase.