SPECTACULAR STAR SHOWERS: JEFF BERKES
JEFF BERKES
Autumn skies are brimming with treasures. The atmosphere is more clear, enabling more vivid sunrises and sunsets. This, plus the longer darker nights that ensue, offer brighter views of stars, planets, and meteor showers.
Fine art photographer Jeff Berkes is a genius at capturing the Orionids, Taurids, Leonids, and Geminids, as they streak across the autumn heavens.
While he is an extraordinary landscape photographer, Berkes is best known for his astrophotography. He is a superstar star shooter. And he has an exceptionally portfolio of meteor photos.
When the Earth passes through trails of cosmic debris, shed by streaking comets, we see meteors, which appear as bright flashes and streaks of light, as the comet pieces hit the atmosphere and burn up. Some larger pieces of debris survive and land on the ground -- meteorites.
Berkes spent a lot of time as a child immersed in the beauty of US National Parks. Early on, he became fascinated by extreme weather, taking a deep interest in lightning storms, tornadoes, blizzards, and wildfires. And he spent lots of time star gazing in big open skies. His desire to capture the natural drama he found drove his passion for photography and travel.
Berkes worked with National Geographic and Magnum photographer Steve McCurry, retouching and editing his photos before receiving his first National Geographic Adventure cover, as part of a story on National Parks. Then, his own stardom emerged.
“Traveling to places unknown gave me the opportunity to discover the night sky that I never knew existed,” Berkes says. In 1996, he began his endless quest to find mother nature in the wildest places.
Often, Berkes drives for hours in search of the darkest locations. He hopes to catch meteors both before moonrise and after the moon sets, so he can capture the meteors without moonlight interference.
If you are so inspired, we highly recommend Berkes’ workshops, including his guided Night Sky and Meteor Shower adventures. You will not only learn how to take stunning imagery at night, but you will learn about the night sky, the Milky Way, meteor showers, moon phases, and all of the other variables in play when it comes down to shooting the night sky throughout the year.
The annual Taurid meteor shower has relatively few meteors, about 5 - 10 meteors per hour, but they are extremely bright, like fireballs in the autumn sky. The Taurids originate from the dust trail of the Encke comet. You can see them from mid-October to mid-December, although they peak in mid-November.
The Taurids shower is actually two streams, the North Taurids and the South Taurids. Taurid meteors can be seen near the Pleiades star cluster in the Taurus constellation.
The Orionids, which grace our skies in October, only produce around 20 meteors per hour, but some can be bright like this one, taken at French Creek State Park, in Pennsylvania.
The Leonids, a November meteoric treasure, are much more prolific. This photo shows 2 meteors falling within seconds of each other just as the moon breached the horizon.
The Leonids peak every 33 years, showering us with 100s of meteors per hour. The next peak will be in 2034.
The Geminids in early December are more prolific. They can produce between 60-120 meteors per hour under optimal view conditions at dark sky locations. Unlike most meteor showers, Geminids can be viewed all night long, from just after sunset to sunrise the next morning. They appear to emanate from the bright Gemini constellation. The best time to view the Geminids is around 2 a.m. local time, after the moon has set so no moonlight interferes.
Berkes’ workshops will generally last all night long, from sunset to sunrise, focusing on light painting techniques, star trails, timelapse, and much more. During the day you can relax, explore, edit your images, and prepare for sunset and the follow night session.
As a workshop participant, you will gain exclusive access to online video tutorials on how to process your night sky photos, including creating star trails, stitching panoramas, timelapse videos, and post processing tips.
In 2019, Berkes will mostly shoot and lead workshops on the east coast, with the exception of Death Valley and Arches National Park in January for the Total Lunar Eclipse.
You can find more of Berkes’ stellar photos published in print and online at The Weather Channel, National Park Service, Outdoor Photographer, Discover, Popular Photography, NASA, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, among others.
You can purchase some of Berkes’ finest images as Fine Art Prints, available on canvas and metal.
Read more about November Treasures all this week on BeautifulNow in November Travel Treasure: Patagonia, Autumn Mind & Body Treasures, Magical Moon Festivals: Thailand, and Autumn Wildflower Treasures. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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