Astrophotographer Osama Fathi captured a stunning view of Perseid meteors amidst star trails in Egypt’s Western Desert on August 13-14, the night after the meteor shower peaked. Using 240 consecutive 25-second exposures, he documented the apparent movement of stars circling the celestial north pole and Polaris. Each star trail’s length indicates the distance the stars appeared to move during his 100-minute shoot with a Sony A7 III camera and a 16-35 mm lens.
Fathi shared that the experience was unforgettable, enhanced by a clear night and the company of around 200 fellow astronomy enthusiasts. The photograph reveals not only the meteors as brief streaks of light but also the subtle paths of satellites intersecting the star trails and the beautiful landscape. He combined images of the landscape and sky to create this mesmerizing nightscape, highlighting the Earth’s rotation and the Perseid meteor shower, which occurs as Earth passes through debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
For those interested in capturing their own night sky images, resources such as guides on photographing star trails, recommended cameras, and lenses for astrophotography are available.
