I was in northwestern CT looking to capture meteors. When I downloaded my pictures the other day I found this image taken facing NE around midnight. Very curious if anyone can identify what would move in this peculiar manner (loop, jagged movements and sharp redirect). Maybe F-35s are this nimble?
Night sky long exposure light trail
- Thread starter Pendleton
- Start date
Photo is from Nov 12, 2023 at 11:55pm. [Mod: time was originally given as 10/12]
76.2s exposure.
Location: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8330889,-73.4296507,15.55z?entry=ttu
76.2s exposure.
Location: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8330889,-73.4296507,15.55z?entry=ttu
Last edited by a moderator:
FatPhil
Senior Member.
Am I suffering astral pareidolia, or do I detect a Plough (Big Dipper) just above the horizon, with its pan handle pointing down and to the left quite close to that whispy leftmost whispy tree and with the Polaris direction being towards the unidentified streak? There seems to be a double-dot of Mizar/Alcor just at the right place along the handle. For late night in CT, that would be a view to the NE, certainly.
It's an odd trail, the way it starts so smooth like a spline and eventually "fizzles out" with some jittery movement is weird - not very organic. A cheap poorly-made firework veering off course, sputtering and tumbling?
It's an odd trail, the way it starts so smooth like a spline and eventually "fizzles out" with some jittery movement is weird - not very organic. A cheap poorly-made firework veering off course, sputtering and tumbling?
| Date and Time (digitized) | 2023:11:13 00:55:29 |
| Date and Time (original) | 2023:11:13 00:55:29 |
| Exif Version | 2.31 |
| Exposure Bias | 0 EV |
| Exposure Mode | Auto |
| Exposure Program | (9) |
| Exposure Time | 76.2 s |
| Flash | No, compulsory |
| FlashPix Version | 1.00 |
| FNumber | F2.8 |
| Focal Length | 16.0 mm |
76.2 second exposure, 16 mm, full frame.
Seems unlikely it would be a full-size aircraft, with what looks like very tight maneuvers.
It's also solid white, not blinking (at least not much, there are some variations), but also smoothly varying in brightness.
Since we can't see the ends of the trail, we don't know how long it took, so have to include the possibility of a brief event, like a spark, or the camera being moved at the start or end of the exposure.
Attachments
Mendel
Senior Member.
I'd expect the small deviations to be camera shake, and it doesn't show up in the rest of the picture because the stars are much darker.
Then, we're looking at a 3D path in 2D, so a "sharp corner" can actually be a wide curve if the object is moving towards the viewer for much of it. If this was a video and not a long exposure, you'd see the object appear to slow down; the increased brightness in the long exposure is a clue to the same effect.
Then, we're looking at a 3D path in 2D, so a "sharp corner" can actually be a wide curve if the object is moving towards the viewer for much of it. If this was a video and not a long exposure, you'd see the object appear to slow down; the increased brightness in the long exposure is a clue to the same effect.
nmarsollier
Member
At 16 mm, in full frame, f 2.8 the hyperfocal distance in 3.15m So the object must be at least beyond that distance.
I would ask if the only source of light is the one behind the trees (moon maybe)? Or they might be some extra light in the ground?
I'm thinking the possibility that a bug was spotted in movement and some light captured the morion.
I would ask if the only source of light is the one behind the trees (moon maybe)? Or they might be some extra light in the ground?
I'm thinking the possibility that a bug was spotted in movement and some light captured the morion.
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Thanks for these great observations!
Mick, I agree that the light trail is missing telltale staccato light patterns of a plane. And thanks for extracting the metadata and zooms. I did check the camera time and it is 1 hour and 5 minutes ahead. Photo was actually taken at 11:50pm.
Mendel, 2D to 3D insight is entirely plausible here. As for camera shake, it could be related to the shutter motion, but that would also mean that the entire trail on the right would be related to a few seconds of shake (assuming it was a singular event).
Nmars, it was quite cold (25F) and also a moonless night. The low lights are nearby light pollution. Also there were no real bugs to speak of considering the freezing temperatures.
I have other photos (most likely close to 360 degrees from the same location if that's helpful. Meteor photos I took a few weeks ago during the Orionids have an uncanny resemblance to this light trail in terms of the light quality and gradient (just a curious observation).
Mick, I agree that the light trail is missing telltale staccato light patterns of a plane. And thanks for extracting the metadata and zooms. I did check the camera time and it is 1 hour and 5 minutes ahead. Photo was actually taken at 11:50pm.
Mendel, 2D to 3D insight is entirely plausible here. As for camera shake, it could be related to the shutter motion, but that would also mean that the entire trail on the right would be related to a few seconds of shake (assuming it was a singular event).
Nmars, it was quite cold (25F) and also a moonless night. The low lights are nearby light pollution. Also there were no real bugs to speak of considering the freezing temperatures.
I have other photos (most likely close to 360 degrees from the same location if that's helpful. Meteor photos I took a few weeks ago during the Orionids have an uncanny resemblance to this light trail in terms of the light quality and gradient (just a curious observation).
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Mendel
Senior Member.
Someone walking near the tripod would be my guess; or wind?
It should be reproducible, but how?
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Mendel
Senior Member.
That's only the strobe.
If there's an airport in the vicinity, it could be landing lights, which are continuous.
Or a helicopter with a searchlight, etc.
Or it could not be an aircraft, of course. (Maybe a drone?)
jarlrmai
Senior Member.
This is my thought a head torch or something used at the start or end of the exposure caught an insect in flight, or a mote of dust with camera movement.
Dave51c
Member
I find it interesting that the intensity of the trace is not even throughout the path. Given the 76.2s exposure, might it mean that either the point source (if it was one) had a variable angle to the camera and/or that its reflectivity was changing due to angular movement, or that the source had a constant area of illumination but its amplitude changed?
Curious also that the most top left to bottom right part of the path seems smooth but the reverse has perturbations. Almost like an object is under power but the perturbation side has less energy - in my mind I'm thinking of an aircraft descending and manouvering, then applying power and climbing away (w.r.t. 3D => 2D transformation)
Curious also that the most top left to bottom right part of the path seems smooth but the reverse has perturbations. Almost like an object is under power but the perturbation side has less energy - in my mind I'm thinking of an aircraft descending and manouvering, then applying power and climbing away (w.r.t. 3D => 2D transformation)
Mendel
Senior Member.
or its velocity was not even
you don't think the perturbations are camera shake? What do you make of the loop in the path?
nmarsollier
Member
What do you think could be this beyond the trees ?
Mendel
Senior Member.
Are you sure these tiny white dots are beyond and not in front?
Or are you referring to the white/red line?
Dave51c
Member
Uneven velocity over time during the exposure is a variable I didn't think to include. Yes, camera shake is a possibility - would comparing the star field in this exposure to another one taken before/after give us more information? Would it also help to know information about the tripod/camera setup in terms of any stabilisation/motion tracking involved?
I really don't what the loop is. Unfortunately, the loop is giving me bias towards a manoeuvring aircraft (not asserting anything btw) - vertical/horizontal loop, descending/ascending turn etc. I can't see past that just yet!
Mendel
Senior Member.
that's information we don't have, i.e. what type of ground the camera was set up on, and what could have caused it to shake. My glassware cupboard rattles when I walk past it.
It's evidence for camera shake.
There's no reason for an aircraft to do a loop in 1-2 seconds.
nmarsollier
Member
Increasing brightness, there is a dark border around the light path.
That can be caused by something that does not emit light.
Also it has some lateral chromatic aberrations in the places that the light burned the sensor, I guess consistent with the places where the border is shown, so I guess that parts are the parts where the object was moving slower.
If I darken a little bit the picture, I see traces of geen, blue, white light, consistent with the supposed speed.
[Slower speed, small path in the different colors]
[Object moving fater, so long trails of different colors]
PSS: Lovely camera and lens, congrats =)
That can be caused by something that does not emit light.
Also it has some lateral chromatic aberrations in the places that the light burned the sensor, I guess consistent with the places where the border is shown, so I guess that parts are the parts where the object was moving slower.
If I darken a little bit the picture, I see traces of geen, blue, white light, consistent with the supposed speed.
[Slower speed, small path in the different colors]
[Object moving fater, so long trails of different colors]
PSS: Lovely camera and lens, congrats =)
Dave51c
Member
How did you derive that time?
No denying that.It's evidence for camera shake.
nmarsollier
Member
I don't really know, Canon cameras are well known by the minimum or none image process in raw mode, it only applies some settings, but we can remove those presets, because are post processing over the raw, which I did. But maybe you are right.
jarlrmai
Senior Member.
You enhanced the image so you are already out of the raw data only stage.
Easy Muffin
Senior Member.
Looks like the streak in the bottom right is just an ordinary plane, DLH4C enroute Chicago to Munich.
Just visible from OP's location.
If it helps, this is the complete EXIF (note the camera is still set to daylight savings hence the 1-hour difference)
Just visible from OP's location.
If it helps, this is the complete EXIF (note the camera is still set to daylight savings hence the 1-hour difference)
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Light Value : -6.3nmarsollier
Member
Sorry but consider a little bit my guess, if it is a post processing artifact I would expect to see the same post processing artifact in other parts of the picture, but I see clearly that the dark band is in that place only.
Z.W. Wolf
Senior Member.
I haven't had time to work out anything. But my immediate impression, based on experience, is flashlight. But considering how dim it is, and how thin the line is... maybe a small light on a phone or some other small light source is a better fit. The overall path and the little squiggles in the path say handheld light source to me.
How many people were around?
How many people were around?
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Mendel
Senior Member.
There is nothing that emits darkness. Anything attached to the white dot can only obscure the background for a very short time and would not noticeably darken it.
Mendel
Senior Member.
The full trace corresponds to less than the 76.2 seconds of exposure.
I eyeballed the length of the loop to be less than 1/40 of that, and the loop isn't particularly bright, so the dot probably didn't slow down there.
The above consideration is for the dot maneuvering the loop (which I find unlikely/impossible). As camera shake, the time would be much shorter, and the whole track could take much less than 76 seconds. So my 1-2 seconds are an upper bound, to show that it couldn't be an aircraft.
Thanks for asking.
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Easy Muffin
Senior Member.
These are bugs
Looks kinda similar? I don't see any nearby lights in Streetview though - https://maps.app.goo.gl/RB8itiiNBcYDrxuv7
Looks kinda similar? I don't see any nearby lights in Streetview though - https://maps.app.goo.gl/RB8itiiNBcYDrxuv7
jarlrmai
Senior Member.
Someone with a head torch or similar could illuminate a bug.
Or could it be a firefly/glowbug?
jarlrmai
Senior Member.
They tend to be warmer/different colours and are fairly dull so I don't think they would create an effect like this over the given exposure time.
Ann K
Senior Member.
@Pendleton says it was 25° F, so insects are not very likely. But a similar effect might be had from a floating bit of dust, hair, or vegetation that could be seen in local illumination up close to the camera. The twists in the trail could be caused by slight air turbulence.
Ann K
Senior Member.
Here's another thought. I see that the anomaly comes from the top edge of the image. Is it possible that you or someone with you has long hair, and might this be a single flyaway strand dangling down?
I use a red light head torch to maintain my night vision.
It was just myself. I can never convince anyone to join me in standing in the cold at midnight.
I use a carbon fiber tripod and it was seated on grass.that's information we don't have, i.e. what type of ground the camera was set up on, and what could have caused it to shake. My glassware cupboard rattles when I walk past it.
It's evidence for camera shake.
There's no reason for an aircraft to do a loop in 1-2 seconds.
I'm a short haired guy and didn't walk in front of the camera or lean over it while shooting. I use a remote shutter.
Mendel
Senior Member.
So, a light setup, on ground that can "shake". Thank you for following up with all of this information!
I don't really know how to recreate the phenomenon. If the camera takes unstabilized video, maybe the "shake" would be visible if you mounted it in the same way and walked past it?
