Starship Asterisk*

Manhattan Skylines

Explanation: City lights shine along the upper east side of Manahattan in this dramatic urban night skyscape from February 13. Composed from a series of digital exposures, the monochrome image is reminiscent of the time when sensitive black and white film was a popular choice for dimly lit night and astro-photography. Spanning 2 minutes and 40 seconds, the combined 22 frames look across the reservoir in New York City's Central Park. Stars trail in the time-lapse view while drifting clouds make patterns in the sky. Traced from top to bottom, the dashed line in the surreal scene is the International Space Station still in sunlight and heading for the southeast horizon. The short time intervals between the exposures leave gaps in the space station's bright trail.

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Ann wrote:What are the bright star trails?

The brightest one is Sirius, then much of the Canis Major stick figure extends below it. Alpha and Beta Leporis are the brighter pair in the upper-right corner.

I've never before seen the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum from that perspective. Interesting how different it looks compared to the usual staring-up-at-it street level appearance. (It's the low domed building next to the flat rectangular one with three rows of lights on its wall, almost in the centre of the pic.)

Rob

Thanks! I was wondering if the domed structure in the middle was Hayden Planetarium. Nice job of city-light astrophotography using what the sky has to offer.

Ann wrote:Thanks, Joe!

Yes indeed, it looks quite a bit like Canis Major.

Shouldn't we see Orion, though? Maybe we are really seeing Saiph?

Ann

Ann,

Looking at the top of the ISS track, previously-noted Alpha and Beta Leporis are to the right. To the left of the ISS track top, and a bit fainter, are Eta Lep (left) and Zeta Lep (right). They're roughly 2.5 deg apart. Saiph (Kappa Orionis) is roughly 5 deg above Eta Lep, so it's about twice the spacing between Eta and Zeta above above Eta, which puts Saiph just outside the top of the frame.

Joe

There is a row of dots that crossed the ISS track near the bottom of the second dash from the top.
Is that an aircraft's blinking lights? I can't think of anything else the would give a line of dots...