Wheeling Stars

This star trail effect was achieved by pointing my camera due north and shooting nine separate five-minute exposures, then stacking them in Photoshop. I waited 10-15 seconds between each shot to give my DSLR's sensor a break. The star that appears barely to move at center is Polaris, the North Star. The shooting session took place from 9:27-10:08 PM on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. My camera aperture was f/5.3, ISO of 200 and 46mm focal length. The location was from my back deck in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, near Bowman Woods Park. This clear sky had its disadvantages though--it was a chilly 41 degrees F outside and dropping fast!