I finally figured out why my star photos had those weird streaks

I spent about 4 months last year taking astro shots from my backyard in Tucson and every single one had these faint streaks running through them. I thought it was light pollution or maybe a dirty lens. I cleaned everything, bought a new filter, even tried different nights. Turns out it was my tripod. The leg locks were just loose enough that a gentle breeze would make the whole rig vibrate a tiny bit over a 30 second exposure. I tightened every single lock with a hex key and the streaks vanished on my next set. Has anyone else dealt with a tripod problem that took way too long to figure out?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonp471mo ago

Funny you mention that, a buddy of mine had almost the exact same problem but with his telescope mount. He spent like three months blaming the tracking motor, bought a new one even, and it was just a loose screw on the dovetail plate. The screw was so small you could barely see it, but it was enough to let the whole scope wobble just a hair during a long exposure. He told me he was so mad he almost threw the thing in the trash before he found the problem.

morgan_ramirez1mo ago

Three months though, I'd have given up way sooner honestly.