Cheddar Ranch Observatory Lightning Storm

These shots were taken at the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club's Cheddar Ranch Observatory on August 19, 2006.  This was a new moon night that was supposed to be for an astronomical outing but Mother Nature put on a different type of show. 

A Canon 20D, was setup on a tripod with a Canon 28-135 telephoto lens.  The camera was set to ISO 100 and a wide open aperture.  Then continuous 20 second exposures were made for approximately 2 hours in two separate series.  In post processing, exposures were stacked to best compose the various lightning strikes that were captured.  Quite a show until the rain finally arrived! 

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