BENGALURU: A night full of shooting stars is expected this December and, unlike last year, this will not be a full-moon night. Photographers from the city are gearing up and getting their tools ready to capture the illuminating yellow streaks.
Geminids, a meteor shower that appears every year, is a two-week phenomenon but peaking on
December 13 and 14. Ganesh R, a night-scape photographer from the city, has been waiting for this year’s Geminids and has been prepping on lenses and campsite since past nine months.
There are two separate meteor events to be witnessed in December. The first one on December 9 and 10 in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu, and the second on December 13 and 14 around 10 km away from Ooty.
“Geminids are considered to be one of the most spectacular meteor showers during a year with a possibility of around 120 meteor sighting per hour at its peak,” says Ganesh R, who is hosting the meteor shower photography tour.
Photographers can expect to capture bright star trails and experiment with time-lapse and hyper-lapse images. “I have never really got a chance to click meteors at this rapid rate so I am excited to see how it will turn out,” shares Ganesh.
Rishabh Naik, photographer and a digital designer, bought exclusive tools for the meteor shower. “I want to experiment the time lapse and capture the essence of Geminids,” says Rishabh.
This event, though a photography tour, is not confined to the photographers. Those interested in just observing the event can sign up too since the camp will also include activities such as hiking and camping. In fact, there is a waterfall in close proximity to the campsite. The event is being organised by Ganesh and Add Ventures Unimited, an outdoor recreational firm.
During the weekend camping, sightings of the meteors will be comparatively lesser than the one on December 14. You can maximum catch a glimpse of 50 meteors per hour. On the weekdays, it will be more rampant. For those in the city, it will be a difficult task to catch a glimpse of Geminids. Ganesh says that you need to drive at least 20 km away from the city to catch hundreds of shooting stars that night.