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The Leonids in Anza-Borrego State Desert, California

Photos by Roger Herzler (such as they are)

Leonid Meteor Shower Image 1

Well, what can I say. I am disappointed that I didn't get better images, but oh well, you can still see the streak of the meteors. For all of these pictures I used a Pentax K-2 camera, 50mm lens at f/1.7 with Kodak Royal Gold 400 ASA film. The high cirrus cloud didn't help, but here are some things I would do differently:

  • Use a better mount. The mounting tripod I was using was pretty bad and not stable in the sometimes very gusty wind conditions I experienced, as you'll note in one of the images I've put here.
  • Use a higher speed film, probably 800 ASA or even 1000 ASA. The site I was at was dark, but I choose 400 ASA to keep the grain tight. I paid for it with poorly illuminated meteors.

On the bright side, this is the first experiment with star trails at 400 ASA, and it worked pretty well. next time out I'll try star trails at 200 ASA and 100 ASA to get that grain down to perfection.

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