APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

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APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by APOD Robot » Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:06 am

Image Namibian Nights

Explanation: Namibia has some of the darkest nights visible from any continent. It is therefore home to some of the more spectacular skyscapes, a few of which have been captured in the above time-lapse video. Visible at the movie start are unusual quiver trees perched before a deep starfield highlighted by the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. This bright band of stars and gas appears to pivot around the celestial south pole as our Earth rotates. The remains of camel thorn trees are then seen against a sky that includes a fuzzy patch on the far right that is the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. A bright sunlight-reflecting satellite passes quickly overhead. Quiver trees appear again, now showing their unusual trunks, while the Small Magellanic Cloud becomes clearly visible in the background. Artificial lights illuminate a mist that surround camel thorn trees in Deadvlei. In the final sequence, natural Namibian stone arches are captured against the advancing shadows of the setting moon. This video incorporates over 16,000 images shot over two years, and won top honors among the 2012 Travel Photographer of the Year awards.

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fausto.lubatti
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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by fausto.lubatti » Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:35 am

Excellent time lapse: I like the movement of the camera that gives the impression of a 3D view while the sky is rotating; also interesting lighting. ;-)

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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by MargaritaMc » Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:28 pm

Oh, to be able to be under such wonderfully clear skies! This is the first time I've seen a photograph of the Milky Way that is so stunning.

Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS

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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by SouthEastAsia » Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:42 pm

Awe inspiring. Humbling. Stunning. Simply outstanding work. How does one say, 'wow', in Namibian? :D

Sure, I give a thumbs up too. He deserves the top honors for this...

Thanks for sharing.

I wish someone could create this in the Philippines some year too!? There's some very dark sky here away from the city smoke -- be it remote island or isolated mountain top -- complete with some pretty rich, exotic natural wonders of our own to mesh seamlessly with our beautiful Milkyway backdrop. We have a super comet passing overhead here too in November I heard, I can't wait for that!

Good luck all.

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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by Moonlady » Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:46 pm

Great image of our Milky Way!

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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by neufer » Mon Feb 04, 2013 2:57 pm

SouthEastAsia wrote:
How does one say, 'wow', in Namibian? :D
  • Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia.
    Official language: English Language
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starstruck
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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by starstruck » Mon Feb 04, 2013 2:58 pm

Beautiful landscapes, beautiful skyscapes . . beautiful photography!

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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by ta152h0 » Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:05 pm

can't see the doodad ! speed of darkness must be slower than the speed of light...
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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by Ron-Astro Pharmacist » Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:56 pm

Wow then! Love to be in Nambia at night. Makes one to want to live under dark skies. Thanks for the video. 8-)
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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by Dale61cool » Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:26 pm

The pictures of this video were so very beautiful, the music was also so very beautiful, but what made this short video so very terrible was the slow downloading that caused the jerking, jumping, and lapsing that made something so very beautiful into something so very horrible.

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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by bystander » Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:31 pm

Dale61cool wrote:The pictures of this video were so very beautiful, the music was also so very beautiful, but what made this short video so very terrible was the slow downloading that caused the jerking, jumping, and lapsing that made something so very beautiful into something so very horrible.
Vimeo is slow, but excellent quality. I usually open them at vimeo, make sure HD is on, start the video, pause it. Then I go do something else while the video loads. I come back later after the video is loaded and watch it without the jerking.
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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by Anthony Barreiro » Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:35 pm

Too many trees getting in the way of the sky. Grumble.
May all beings be happy, peaceful, and free.

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Re: APOD: Namibian Nights (2013 Feb 04)

Post by saturno2 » Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:46 pm

Very interesting. The image of the Galaxy Milky Way is very good.
Namibian Nights.
Nights of stars.

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