Star Trails Timelapse

 Here is a version that shows the star trails from Aug. 11 forming over time.

Star Trails

 Here is another way to view the 260 astro-photography images from Rooi Lamoenchi on Aug. 11.

 

 

Rooi Lamoenchi Time Lapse Sequence

 Here's a time lapse from Aug. 11, when I was out at Kunuku Rooi Lamoenchi. It covers about two hours of time and 260 pictures that I triggered manually, 'cause I couldn't find my second interval timer. I'll process this again later, to try to remove some of the flicker, but it is still cool to see the movement of the stars over the two hours. The North Star is just over the small building in the middle of the picture. The little dipper extends upward and curves to the left from the North Star. You can see the handle of the Big Dipper on the left side at the start of the sequence. There must have been some haze because there is a glow around these bright stars.

 

 

I caught a Meteor, barely.

 

Here's a view of the main house at Kunuku Rooi Lamoenchi, from Aug. 11. The little streak peaking above the roof at the right end of the house is a Perseid meteor. The fuzzy oblong thing above the left side of the big cactus at the right side of the image is the Andromeda Galaxy, M33. The Double Cluster between Perseus and Cassiopeia is visible above the Meteor as you rise up towards the middle of the frame vertically.

 

 

Perseid Meteor Madness

 I was out 'till about 12:30 last Wednesday, but didn't see much in the way of meteors.  Perseus was just coming up over the horizon when i left, so it might have gotten better in the wee hours of the morning.  Perseus is far enough to the North that I typically don't see much meteor activity here in the Tropics.  I took a ton of pictures that i haven't looked at yet.  I also shot a few scenes that caught my eye.  Here is one from the entrance to Kunuku Rooi Lamoenchi.

Cacti Milky Way

Here's another shot from last Wednesday. If i can remember where I shot this, I'd like to go back some time with a normal lens instead of a wide angle one. The cactus silhouettes put emphasis on the Milky Way and I'd like to see more MW detail. I think there was enough room so i could back up and still get the cacti in the frame.

 

Karpata, July 29

 Here is another shot from Karpata on the night of the 29th.

Karpata Stars

 Here's another shot from when i was a Karpata on the 29th.

 

Another Kibrahacha Tree at night

 Here's another Kibrahacha tree / Milky Way picture. I was fighting some clouds but still happy that the Moon, Milky Way and Kibrahachas all fell into place.

 

Kibrahacha Tree at Night

 I'm always looking for new foregrounds to include with the Milky Way. I'm also always looking for new ways to show Kibrahacha trees. So last night i was able to combine the two. I shot a nighttime Kibrahacha tree image a couple years ago, but i like this one better. One can even see lots more flowering trees on the hillside at the lower left side of the image.

That's Jupiter peaking above the tree at the lower left and Saturn to its upper right.

 

Another Milky Way image

 Here's a Milky Way shot from Tuesday evening. The skies weren't as clear as Monday. This was taken somewhere east of Amboina. I got totally lost out there so i don't know where i was, nor if i could ever get back there! You can see Alpha and Beta Centaurus by the horizon on the right side of the picture. You can see the Little Dipper rising vertically from Polaris near the horizon on the left side of the picture. Jupiter is the bright light near the horizon in the middle of the picture, with Saturn shining to its upper right.

 

Kibrahacha Trees

 The heavy rains we recently had here have triggered some of the Kibrahacha trees. Here is the view from the TWR parking lot in Hato. I may have to do a Kibrahacha exploration bike ride tomorrow morning, to see if the trees in any other areas are blooming as well.

 

More Milky Way Madness

 

The sky was very clear Monday evening, so i zoomed out to see what i could see. Looking at the level of haze on the hills before sunset, it say it was about a 9 out of 10. When i was out by Lagoon, it looked like a 10. We don't get that many nights that clear, so i try get out to a dark area if at all possible.

A "secret" mountain biking trail provided a nice foreground for the full arch of the Milky Way. You really need to view this one full size.

 

 

Pedrito el Pulpo Back in Action

 This past Saturday, our Trans World Radio partner in Venezuela just held their first Pedrito El Pulpo kids rally of the summer. They had about 300 kids in attendance, and no electricity, until someone located a generator. They had heavy rain at the end. Maybe that is the same rain that swamped Bonaire on Monday. It seemed to come from the South.

 

Milky Way west of Rincon

 Here's another shot from the other night. This is a little west of Dos Pos. The lights of Rincon are lighting up the clouds. The bright "star" near the horizon to the left of center is Saturn.