The Perseid meteor shower will peak this year on Saturday morning in Cochrane.
Local photographer Dylan Kaniski is preparing to spend some sleepless nights to ensure the perfect shot. “I’m always really excited about this meteor shower, it’s one of the biggest of the year and we always get a lot of great meteors.”
Meteor showers are clouds of debris left behind when comets pass Earth around the sun. The Perseids come from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which was last visible in 1992. While Cochranites won’t see the comet again until 2125, in the meantime, skywatchers can enjoy the annual shower of debris .
“Every year it changes and some years are better than others. But this one is special because the Perseids are pretty consistent from year to year. I tend to get a good shot and that’s why people are really excited about it.”
Unfortunately, the full moon will make it more difficult to see this year, but Kaniski has plenty of advice for people who want to experience the Perseids for the first time.
“The best way to see the meteor shower is to get to a dark place first. It doesn’t have to be anywhere very far. Personally, I like to go to the mountains, but anywhere in Cochrane, you can go to the countryside just 10 minutes from the city.
“If you can’t get out of town, just go to a local park or even turn your back to any lamppost and let your eyes adjust, it will help.”
He also believes that you don’t need top-of-the-line photography equipment to get stunning photographs.
“You don’t need any fancy equipment or anything special. Meteors move pretty fast and are usually pretty bright, so you have no trouble capturing them with cameras of any caliber.”
“For camera tips, I like to do a higher ISO around 6400 and usually an exposure time of 20 seconds. If people are out and want to capture it with their cameras, I suggest using a focal length of a little tighter because many meteors can be a little smaller, and having a tighter focal length will allow you to emphasize the size of the meteor, something like 20 to 35 millimeters is what I would recommend.
“I would stay away from the wide-angle lenses you see a lot of landscape and night photographers using.”
Although the 2022 Perseid meteor shower will peak on August 13, 2022, meteors could be visible on clear nights before Saturday morning and past.