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Laser Trails and Star Trails
40 minutes of exposure time on the summit of Mauna Kea. Keck II was using the laser adaptive optics system. From left to right are the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, Subaru, Keck I and II, Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. — Sean Goebel
Star Trails and low earth flash over the 3RF Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus Observatory. — Phillip L. Jones
Star trails over a water well in the Montsant mountains, Catalonia Copyright: Maria Rosa Vila
Southern Silhouette
Six hours of southern startrails, centered on the South Celestial Pole, is recorded in this image from Warrumbungle National park of NSW, Australia. Shingo Takei
One full year of solar motion is captured in this multi-exposure analemma image from shore of the Caspian Sea in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Image by Tunc Tezel
Analemma is the figure “8” loop that results when one observes the position of the sun at the same time of day over the course of a year. The 23.5° tilt of the earth’s axis of rotation and its elliptical orbit about the sun result in the apparent change in the sun’s location in the sky when observed at the same location at the same time of day over a year’s time.
For this image the photos are all made during the local noon. The highest point shows the sun near the day of Summer Solstice (June 21) and the lowest marks the shortest days near the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21).
Mirror Lake
“When the morning light appeared I blocked the lens with a solar filter while the camera was still exposing on a fixed tripod. It took quite a lot of precautions to avoid light leaking into the dark night shot!” — Pekka Parviainen
Dali Star Trails
A night exposure from Figueres, Catalonia, has captured Startrails over the entrance plaza to the Dalí Museum. Juan Carlos Casado
From Home to the Universe
A dream of every amateur astronomer, an observatory some feet away from your bedroom! Amateur astronomers today contribute to research at the cutting-edge of science.
Here at Mario Motta observatory near the Atlantic coast at Gloucester, Massachusetts, a home built 32” (80cm) telescope with research level accuracy is being used to measure variable stars and detecting transiting extrasolar planets.
Dr. Mario Motta is a physician but also has an active role in the fight against light pollution, a board member of International Dark Sky Association (IDA).
The single exposure photo has captured rotating dome of the observatory, caused it to look transparent. In this moonlit night Orion is rising on the left and Taurus and Jupiter are above it. — Babak Tafreshi
Aurora Trails
Star trails and aurora motion are captured in a long exposure image from Lapland, northern Sweden. — Babak Tafreshi
Australian Starry Sky
“That night in Warrumbungle of NSW Australia was spectacular. It was a grand view of the Milky Way where the night sky was divided in two.” — Shingo Takei
