Blew a perfect Milky Way shot because of a dumb mistake

I was out at Cherry Springs State Park last month, everything was set up perfect. Had my star tracker aligned, focus was sharp, then I realized my intervalometer was still set to 5 seconds from the test shots. Ended up with just a black frame for the whole Milky Way core. Has anyone else lost a good night because of a silly settings slip-up?

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.blake5d ago

Started triple checking my intervalometer every time before the first exposure after I did the exact same thing. A simple laminated checklist taped to my tripod leg finally broke the habit for me.

jordangibson5d agoMost Upvoted

Dude, laminated checklist saved my ass too, literally the same setup.