1. Download the NightCap Pro app.
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To capture the best star trails, astrophotographer Eric Teske first recommends using a $1.99 iPhone app called NightCap Pro. Download the app before heading out for the meteor viewing tonight.
This is the first of two programs you will need to create a full fledged star trail. NightCap takes timed intervals of the sky, which you later layer together with a second piece of software.
2. Activate "Light Trails" mode within the app.
Light Trails can be activated by clicking the star in the lower left corner.
Then, go to "settings" under the gear symbol in the top left. iPhone Photography School also touts NightCap for it's stellar customization options. Make sure the following recommended settings are in place:
1) JPEG or HQ JPEG are selected for the photo type.
2) Timer is on, and set to three-second intervals.
3) Interval Programmer is on, with infinite photos, five second exposure, and fifteen second bursts.
3. Get into a prime viewing position.
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Light pollution can be a huge deterrent for stargazing. The further away from a large city, the better. You want to aim for the darkest, clearest skies possible.
4. Make sure your phone is secure during viewing, otherwise your star trails will come out blurry.
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iPhone tripod stands are popular among photographers for fully stabilized images, but CNET recently published a list of DIY smartphone stands for us amateurs.
5. After the shower, save photos to your camera roll and download StarStaX to complete the star trails.
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Using NightCap will give you the material to make a star trail, but not the complete picture.
StarStaX is a free image stacking software recommended for making the actual star trails.
What this effectively does is take all the bursts of photos from NightCap, and layer them on top of each other, creating a beautiful star trail. This is a vital step in the process.
6. If all that seems too complicated, experiment with exposure control in the camera app.
Some people might not want to juggle all of these apps. An easy hack for taking plain photos of the night sky is to toggle your phone's camera exposure.
Simply open the camera app, and tap the screen to focus. This will generate a yellow box. Tap again to the side of the box, and the little exposure "sun" will appear.
Slide the sun up or down to increase or decrease exposure. You want lower exposure for night photography.
The only issue: if you're shooting meteors, the tails might not show up in the photos, or they might be really blurry. Still, it's better than nothing.
7. Finally, upload to Instagram and show off your new photography skills!
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And don't fret if you can't get make it to a good viewing spot tonight. NASA is streaming the meteor shower starting Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST. Find the stream here.