An Escondido photographer who understands the value of patience and persistence produced this startling image of meteors burning up in Earth’s atmosphere during the peak of last week’s Perseid meteor shower.

Alfonso Cuchi sent us an email that says, “This was my first attempt ever at photographing the Perseids shower. I am a passionate aficionado photographer based in Escondido with an interest in astro and landscape photography. I started photographing the skies about two years ago and since then I have been constantly amazed by what you can capture with some patience, perseverance, fairly-affordable equipment, and some basic astrophotography knowledge.

“This photo is a combination of 15 different shots (20-25 seconds exposure and ISO 1600-3200). It was taken at the entrance of the Palomar Observatory on Thursday night. The place was full with families, friends, photographers, and space enthusiasts who quietly (except when a big meteor bursted through the sky) and happily enjoyed the galactic show.

Alfonso Cuchi (Alfonso Cuchi)


After arriving near the observatory around 10 pm, I scouted the location, and decided that I would like to include the Milky Way and some trees for the final image. Part of taking these photos involves some preparation such as finding dark skies (see below for the link to Dark Sky Finder) and using apps (or having the actual knowledge) to find the Milky Way or the Perseids.

“I shot until 3.30 am when I was satisfied with the number of shooting stars I captured and saw (I always feel you should take a moment away from the lens to enjoy these moments with your own eyes too!). During my time near the observatory, I had the fortune of meeting two other photographers, one from Marin County and another from Carlsbad. We shared tips, stories, and ideas, and kept each other company during the night. Photographing the meteor shower entails luck and patience. Even when you know that most meteors will light up the Northeast sky, you still have to hope your camera will be shooting and pointing in the right direction to get stars in your photos.

“Once home, I imported all the photos taken (many!) into my computer, selected the best ones that included meteors, and started the blending process using layers and masks in PhotoShop. It took me about two hours to position, rotate, and combine all the pictures. Once I was happy with the result and composition, I used Lightroom to edit the Milky Way and bring out the colors of the sky, the horizon, and galaxy. Total edit time was approximately 2.5 hours, but I was very happy with the final result.

“The camera that I used for this is the Canon 70D with a wide open lens from Rokinnon 14mm F2.8. People interested in doing this must also have a sturdy tripod and a shutter release.”

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