How to Shoot Astrophotography Time-lapses (and the Egg Timer Hack)
A single photo of the Milky Way is beautiful. A video of the Milky Way rising over a mountain peak, with clouds flowing like water and satellites zipping past, is mesmerizing. Time-lapses capture the dynamic motion of our universe. Best of all, you can start with a kitchen timer.
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01The Math of Time-lapse
Video typically plays back at 24 or 30 frames per second (fps).
To make 10 seconds of video at 24fps, you need: 10 seconds x 24 frames = 240 photos.
If each photo exposure is 20 seconds, plus a 2-second buffer, that's 22 seconds per shot. 240 photos x 22 seconds = 5,280 seconds = ~88 minutes.
So, you need to stand in the cold for 1.5 hours to get 10 seconds of footage. Welcome to astrophotography!
Interval Settings
02The Egg Timer Hack
Professional motion control rigs cost $500+. But you can add panning motion for about $10 using an Ikea egg timer (or any flat-top kitchen timer).
How it works:
- Buy a flat-top mechanical kitchen timer (usually rotates 360° in 60 minutes).
- Stick a GoPro adhesive mount or screw a tripod ball head onto the top of it.
- Mount the timer to your tripod.
- Mount your camera to the timer.
The Result: As the timer ticks, it slowly rotates your camera. In 60 minutes, it pans 360 degrees (too fast usually) or 90 degrees depending on the timer. It creates a smooth, sweeping panning motion that makes your time-lapse look cinematic. Note: This works best for lightweight setups (Action cams, phones, or small mirrorless + wide lens).
Ikea ORDNING Timer
“The classic analog steel timer.”
Why we love it
It's mechanical, requires no batteries, and can handle the weight of a phone or GoPro easily.
03The Holy Grail: Day-to-Night
The hardest time-lapse is the transition from sunset to full starry night. The light changes by 20 stops!
Method 1: Aperture Priority (Av) Let the camera decide the shutter speed. Problem: You get "flicker" because the camera's metering jumps around.
Method 2: Bulb Ramping (Bramping) You manually adjust ISO and Shutter speed every few minutes as it gets darker. Problem: It's tedious and easy to mess up.
The Solution: Use an external intervalometer app (like qDslrDashboard) or a device inside your camera (like Magic Lantern for Canon) to smoothly ramp exposures.
04Red Light Etiquette
If you are shooting time-lapses at a dark sky park or star party, NEVER use a white headlamp. You will ruin everyone's photos and night vision.
Use a dedicated red-light headtorch. Red light doesn't bleach the visual purple (rhodopsin) in your eyes, preserving your night vision.
Black Diamond Spot 400
“Rugged headlamp with dedicated red night-vision mode.”
Why we love it
It has a feature where you can turn it on directly into Red Mode without cycling through white light first. Essential.
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