My camera battery died during a meteor shower and I missed the brightest fireball

Drove out to the dark sky spot near Lake George last Tuesday for the Perseids. Got everything set up, tripod stable, focus dialed in, but my spare battery was dead because I left it in the car overnight. The biggest fireball I've ever seen cut right across Cassiopeia and I only got one blurry shot before the shutter locked up. Had to sit there watching everyone around me capture it while my camera sat useless. Anyone else had a gear failure ruin a prime night of sky watching?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_foster6d ago

Honestly I used to be one of those people who thought spare batteries were overkill, like just charge everything the night before and you're fine. But after my DSLR died 10 minutes into a lunar eclipse last year while I was trying to get that deep red color, I completely changed my mind. Now I have three batteries in my bag at all times plus a portable charger in the car. That fireball thing sounds brutal though, I would have been so mad sitting there watching everyone else get the shot while my gear just sat there useless.

claire_gibson6d ago

You ever try keeping a battery warmer in your bag when it's cold out? That's another thing that'll kill your battery fast. Learned that the hard way shooting northern lights in February.