The night of August 11th to August 12th 2022 was pretty special.
Not only was it the night of the final supermoon of 2022 (the sturgeon moon), but it was also the peak of the best meteor shower of the year, the Perseids.
So with clear skies and a heatwave, thanks to a stationary area of high pressure over north Wales, I was well up for an overnight photoshoot, trying to catch those elusive meteors.
With the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on my doorstep, with its relatively low levels of light pollution, it was an easy decision to head to the hills, choosing a vantage point on Foel Fenlli, looking north over to the summit of Moel Famau, the highest peak in the Clwydians, and onto the north Wales coast and the lights of the Gwynt-y-Môr offshore wind farm in the far distance.
Looking north had the additional advantage of avoiding the the direct light of the bright moon, which had risen behind me to the southeast and was lighting up the landscape below with an eerie glow.
The only problem with the strength of the moonlight was that the night skies weren't dark at all, with only the brightest stars still visible, most notably the Plough constellation which wheeled across the heavens over Moel Famau during the course of the photoshoot.
But what about those meteors?
Well for the five hours I spent capturing images only two out of over a thousand photos showed a meteor bright enough to be seen against the moonlit sky.
But that was OK with me, as the experience of being on the mountain overnight was just wonderful in its own right, watching as the clockwork precision of the celestial dance played out in front of me.
A visible testimony to the wisdom and love of our creator God if ever I saw one!
Filename - clwydians night timelapse 04
Camera - Canon EOS 6DMK2
Lens - 17-40mm zoom @ 20mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 15 secs @ f/4, ISO1600
Exposure (end of sequence) - 15 secs @ f/4, ISO1600
Filters - None.
Shooting interval - 15 seconds
Software - Adobe Lightroom, LRTimelapse and Premiere Pro
Music - Bach Cello Suite No. 1, G Major, Prelude - Cooper Cannell
Location - Foel Fenlli, Clwydian Range, North Wales
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K and 1080p HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 57 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2023 unless otherwise stated.