What is the best way to take pictures of a meteor shower?

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Sit your camera on a tripod with a wide angle lens pointing skyward. Try to manual focus on a bright star, which will be close to infinity. With camera on manual mode, take between 30 second and 1 minute exposures at around f/8 aperture to minimise star trailing due to earth rotation. For the smaller meteors to register you may need to up the ISO above 200.

Shooting this way will almost certainly bag you some meteor trails and the odd satellite!

Geminids are the best shower in the year and the peak is the night of Monday 14th Dec. Most meteors will appear to emanate from the constellation Gemini (hence Geminids) though you may well get some from other directions.

[Edit] 10 minute exposures? Enjoy the star trails unless you have a driven sidereal tracking mount like an EQ or similar. Even at wide angle you'll start to get trails after about a minute, which will leave you wondering which are stars and which are meteors.... Good luck with that!

Long exposures from a tripod in a dark location using a normal or wide angle lens during the peak activity. There are many sites where you can get the projected peak hours. Meteor showers, (like many celestial events) tend to peak in the wee morning hours before dawn. Protect your camera from dew or frost with a plastic bag. Also if it is very cold, the batteries will die pretty fast. Bundle up yourself, too. Those cold mornings will chill you to the bone.

For your own observing, take plenty of blankets and a lounge chair. You will not need binoculars or a scope to watch meteors. I have captured meteors a time or two, but the results were not very satisfying or impressive other than being able to say I caught one, lol. Much more pleasure to lay back and look for them with a cup of hot chocolate or mocha.

I have seen a few videos of meteor showers. Many are edited to about one minute in length. They only show the actual meteors, not the time between them. They only capture the brightest ones. I have never been impressed with the video quality. There is nothing like watching and waiting Listening to the radio. Chatting with friends. Or being alone with your thoughts While watching a meteor shower.

If you have a tripod handy, set the ISO to the lowest setting your camera will go. For example, Canon EOS 400D will go as low as 100 ISO, whereas a Nikon D40 will go to 200. If you don't have a tripod, look for something you can rest your camera on. For example a stone or brick wall.

If you absolutely need to hand hold your camera, the only choice of SLR settings you have for night photography is to set it to P (Program) and up the ISO to 800 - 1600. As far as what time to shoot, it really is up to you. I personally like shooting before it gets too dark but you may want to take the photos when it is darker. I hope that your shoot goes well. :]

Anywhere in North America, and anytime between 9pm and Monday morning sunrise, but peak is around midnight.

"Maximum activity is expected early Monday – around 12:10 a.m. EST (0510 UT). But the peak of this event encompasses several hours, astronomers say. So good viewing can be had from around 9 p.m. local time tonight through dawn Monday."

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"Quick tips

Robert Lunsford, the Visual Program Coordinator of the American Meteor Association, likens taking photos of meteors to fishing: set your camera and hope to catch a shooting star. Dark skies require a manual camera that allows long exposures with a cable release as well as very fast film. Lunsford recommends using 800 or even 1,000-speed film.

Lunsford has taken plenty of meteor shower pictures successfully, and he recommends 10-minute exposures in dark areas. In brighter locations, five minute exposures will have to suffice, otherwise the image will appear foggy from overexposure.

And with such long exposures, you will need a tripod to hold the camera still. Alternately, Lunsford suggests you can the camera on the ground. Lens up, of course.

-- Heather Sparks, SPACE.com"

"Want to know more?

The following extensive tips are courtesy NASA:

Photographing meteors is possible using a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. The camera must have a "T" (time) or "B" (bulb) setting for taking time exposures. You will also need a cable release, a tripod or a very stable surface to place the camera on, for best results. The camera will need a lens that is between "fisheye" and 55mm. Lenses larger than 55mm may capture too small a field of view.

Here is what you will need to do:

Set up your photography equipment in an area that is shaded from any stray lights that may interfere. This is absolutely necessary!

Set the camera on a tripod or some other surface that is very stable. Make sure the focal ratio is set to the lowest possible setting. This means that the aperature of the camera is "wide open." Make sure the camera is set to "B" or "T" for time exposure. Set the focus to infinity.

Aim the camera at the area of the sky that you intend to photograph. Once positioned properly, make sure the tripod is locked down to prevent its "head" from moving under the weight of the camera. If you do not have a tripod, use things to prop the camera up in a way so that it is stable and so that you can still look through the viewfinder.

Depress the cable release button and lock it in place. Allow the camera to take a picture for anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, maybe more. Once the desired time has elapsed, release the cable release lock which will end the exposure. While taking the picture, do not move the camera at all.

The length of time that you should expose the film can be a tricky thing. Light pollution will shorten the amount of time that an exposure can be made before the file reaches it's "Sky Fog Limit" or is effectively overexposed. Experimenting with the length of time an exposure is well worth the effort!

The speed and grain size of the film is an important consideration. Generally speaking, ASA 400 film is "fast" enough for these purposes. Fine grained film such as ASA 100 will give you sharper images than ASA 400 but the pictures would be much darker. With low light levels, "fast" film is highly desired. ASA 800 will expose quicker than ASA 400 but will be grainier. Kodak Gold and Fuji Film's of ASA 400 or ASA 800 should suffice.

The "F" stop or "focal ratio" setting is very important. As mentioned above, you want the camera to be "wide open" or set to the lowest focal ratio setting. The reason is that the film will be able to gather more light if the aperature is wider. Your pictures will capture more fainter meteors at a lower focal ratio than at a higher focal ratio. If your camera produces fuzzy results and it is indeed correctly focused, close the aperature down one stop.

Test your setup

On a clear night prior to the meteor shower's forecasted peak, set your camera up and take a few pictures. This will help you determine what works best for your camera and how the film reacts to the night sky in your area.

Try a few exposures of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes and 4 minutes using the lowest focal ratio, and record the frame number and exposure time on a scratch pad. Repeat the process with the focal ratio backed off one stop. When you get the film developed, you'll be able to compare the results with your notes and determine what works best for your camera and sky conditions.

What you will see are called "star trails". Every star in the photo will appear to be "trailed" for all photos over 20-30 seconds in duration. This is okay though, as many meteor photographers do use this method. You would need an "equitorial" mount with a tracking motor to eliminate this effect. Knowing how your camera records light before the main event is essential!

Developing

Warn the film developer that your pictures may be very dim! When getting your photographs developed, it is a good idea to make sure they know your photographs are dim and to the untrained eye, may appear to be of nothing at all. If the developer uses normal processing, you should at least get some kind of results. The important thing is that they print them! It is a better idea to have them developed locally, where you can discuss what's on the film prior to processing it.

Some meteors are exceedingly bright and may possibly overexpose or ruin a time exposure. If a very bright fireball crosses the camera's field of view, end the exposure shortly thereafter.

Know where your camera is pointing! Sometimes, a bright meteor will leave a "train" or trail that is visible from a few seconds to many. These make very interesting photographs as the trails become twisted and contorted by winds high in the upper atmosphere.

Framing your picture with natural landscapes will help to make it more interesting and will provide the viewer with a better perspective of the event. Trees, cactus, rock formations and distant mountains are all good objects to try this on.

A wide field photograph of meteors while looking across a very still lake or pond may make for astounding poster quality shots, especially if the water's surface is very still and reflects the meteor well. If you have a lake or pond nearby, give this a try. It may actually be possible if the meteor counts are high and if they are bright.

Meteor Shower: Geminid

Best Date: December 14

Constellation: Gemini

Zenith Hourly Rate (ZHR): 120

Origin: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon

Don't miss Ursid. December 22. In the constellation Ursa Minor. Zenith Hourly Rate (ZHR) 10.