My telescope got photobombed by a satellite during a shoot at Joshua Tree

I was out at Joshua Tree last Friday setting up for a clear shot of the Andromeda Galaxy. Had my exposure going for 90 seconds and a bright streak cut right through the frame. Now I check satellite tracker apps before I even unpack my gear. Anyone else deal with satellite trails ruining long exposures?

2 comments

2 Comments

michael_jones19d ago

Dude that sucks so bad! I had the exact same thing happen last month at Anza-Borrego. Spent like an hour getting my polar alignment perfect, set up a 2 minute exposure of the Lagoon Nebula, and bam a Starlink train just plows right through the whole thing. Its honestly getting impossible to get clean shots anymore. Now I use a Starlink tracker app too and have to plan around their passes. Kinda kills the vibe when youre out in the middle of nowhere trying to escape all that stuff.

juliagonzalez19d ago

Tbh that's brutal, I feel your pain on the satellite trails ruining otherwise perfect shots.