Star trails: capturing the rotation of the Earth
Star trails show stars moving as circles across the sky. Learn the stacking method, settings and how to find Polaris.
As the Earth rotates, stars appear to move across the sky. A long sequence of exposures records this motion as arcs or circles.
Find Polaris
Point the camera north toward Polaris, the North Star, for circular trails around a center point. From Yucatán, Polaris sits low, about 20 degrees above the horizon, giving long arcs.
The stacking method
Instead of one very long exposure, shoot hundreds of shorter ones:
- ISO 800 to 1600
- Aperture f/2.8 to f/4
- 20 to 30-second exposures
- Continuous shooting with an intervalometer for 1 to 2 hours
Stack them in StarStaX or Sequator.
Power
Long sequences drain batteries. Use external USB-C power or a battery grip like the VG-C4EM.
Dew
Humid Yucatán nights cause lenses to fog. A lens heater band prevents dew.
Foreground
A tree, building or windmill adds interest. Shoot one frame at blue hour for the foreground and blend it.
Bonus: time-lapse
The same sequence can become a star time-lapse video.
Next: How to photograph the moon: detail, size and landscapes
