Possible unknowns creating colored patterns in night sky

This is an image taken at around 3:00 am late in 2008, oct., I think it was.

Notice the strange patterns.

The blacked out area represents a local private home to honour their privacy.

What do you think caused this? For now I'm calling it unknown.

8 second exposure using Canon Rebel XT 8 mp dslr

I would also call it unknown. I wonder what made the blob like marks...over 8 seconds?

I'm not sure what made the blobs or the streamers.

One things for sure, they're colourful.

I'm wondering if anyone else has seen anything like these?

Thanks for looking.

Mob

Ummmmm

Considering its an eight second exposure, you've probably caught some moving lights or something. (like car lights)

I dont think its anything weird, just crappy camera work, but I will leave this one up to the proper camera experts

Well it would be different if its crappy camera work, I was setting up for some long exposure work with the camera piggy backed on my 8" sct.

Which is my normal procedure to get a handle on the sky glow.

The mount was not under power.

I've never seen this before on my setup, I suspect someone else may have.

I open to suggestions,

Mob

Here is the exif file with my name and camera serial edited out.

Make - Canon
Model - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Orientation - Top left
XResolution - 72
YResolution - 72
ResolutionUnit - Inch
DateTime - 2008:10:24 01:56:30
YCbCrPositioning - Co-Sited
ExifOffset - 196
ExposureTime - 8 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ExposureProgram - Action program
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
ExifVersion - 0221
DateTimeOriginal - 2008:10:24 01:56:30
DateTimeDigitized - 2008:10:24 01:56:30
ComponentsConfiguration - YCbCr
ShutterSpeedValue - 8 seconds
ApertureValue - F 5.60
ExposureBiasValue - 0.00
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
Flash - Flash not fired, compulsory flash mode
FocalLength - 300 mm
UserComment -
FlashPixVersion - 0100
ColorSpace - sRGB
ExifImageWidth - 3456
ExifImageHeight - 2304
InteroperabilityOffset - 9230
FocalPlaneXResolution - 3954.23
FocalPlaneYResolution - 3958.76
FocalPlaneResolutionUnit - Inch
CustomRendered - Normal process
ExposureMode - Auto
White Balance - Auto
SceneCaptureType - Standard

Maker Note (Vendor): -
Macro mode - Normal
Self timer - Off
Quality - Fine
Flash mode - Auto
Sequence mode - Continous
Focus mode - MF
Image size - Large
Easy shooting mode - Sports
Digital zoom - None
Contrast - High , +1
Saturation - High , +1
Sharpness - High , +1
ISO Value - 32767
Metering mode - Evaluative
Focus type - Auto
AF point selected -
Exposure mode - Easy shooting
Focal length - 70 - 300 mm (1 mm)
Flash activity - Not fired
Flash details -
Focus mode 2 - 8
White Balance - Auto
Sequence number - 0
Flash bias - 0 EV
Subject Distance - 0
Image Type - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Firmware Version - Firmware 1.0.3

Sharpness (0D) - 0
File number - 213 - 1316
Sharpness (A0) - 0

Thumbnail: -
Compression - 6 (JPG)
XResolution - 72
YResolution - 72
ResolutionUnit - Inch
JpegIFOffset - 9716
JpegIFByteCount - 7183

Regards,

Mob

Originally posted by OzWeatherman
Ummmmm

Considering its an eight second exposure, you've probably caught some moving lights or something. (like car lights)

I dont think its anything weird, just crappy camera work, but I will leave this one up to the proper camera experts

I fully concur. You can see the supposed "Orbs" of light shining off of trees in the background. They are street lamps, nothing more. This is simply a delayed/elongated exposure, with camera movement present (It could stem from a problem as simple as not properly mounting the camera, because even an apparent steady hand can produce such effects).

Many thanks for your opinions.

First of all, I feel that I should add something here that may make you want to re-examine your comments.

The streamers of light are interwoven, in other words vertical passes in front of and behind the horizontal passes, etc. Strange behavior, which I feel can't be explained. Unfortunetly, the house which is blacked out, is a private residence and I respect the owner's right to privacy. It is not blurred in any way, in fact its quite sharp, negating the theory of camera movement.

My observatory is setup quite solid. The mount is set on a cement pier with isolation from the building. This is done to avoid even my footsteps causing any vibrations to my camera or telescope. Due to minor imperfections in the worm gear I preload my mount with a small weight to take up any slack in the drive gears, which requires me to lock the mount so it doesn't move at all times. This presents a very good observation system which is able to achieve long exposure imaging quite well.

When the locks are on there is no easy way to move the mount other than computer commanded or the handpad. Both are located farther than I can reach from the telescope in my warm room at the back of the observatory.
If my mount was that sloppy then, long exposure photography would not be achievable.

The camera is mounted on a special mounting area which has no flexture at all. To blur an image would take a strong knock to the mounting. The optical tube also is flexture free with re-enforcements around the tube.
I have done this over and over for many years and have never seen anything like the pic I posted. I have seen images which suffered from bumps, but not vertical and horizontal movements with inter-weaving.

I guess I may never find out what is behind these light streams, I call them unknowns simply because thats what they are til I can see this duplicated.

Thanks again
Mob

reply to post by marsorbust


My thoughts are that you're trying to fool us in some way.

Now I'm no image expert but I think you and your friend(s) were trying to do something like this:

www.houseofrave.com...


Obviously it's no where near as good.

But do keep trying! Just don't call your friends unknowns.