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Sailing the Celestial Seas
image
Created for the OAE
Caption: Honorable mention in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category of Still images taken exclusively with smartphones/mobile devices.
In this black and white snapshot taken in April 2022 with a smartphone, a solitary boat rests on the shores of Lake Eucumbene, Australia, framed by the brilliant display of stars comprising the Milky Way. The prominent glow of the galactic centre stands out against the night sky, its intricate patterns of stars and nebulae casting a striking contrast. Each shimmering dot represents a distant sun, possibly orbited by uncharted planets, underscoring the vastness and complexity of our sprawling home galaxy.
Credit: Lucy Yunxi Hu/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
Glossary Terms:
Milky Way , Navigation
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
Tags:
astrophotography
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( image 7.11 MB)
Half day exposure to the north star, by Fabrizio Melandri, Italy
image
Created for the OAE
Caption: First place in the IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Star trails.
This star trail image shows the apparent movement of the stars in the night sky, which results from the Earth’s rotation around its polar axis. The trees in the foreground serve as an anchor as we turn with the Earth. The bright white semi-circle in the center of the image is the North (Pole) star – Polaris, which is located very close to the North Celestial Pole. One way to imagine that the Earth is at center of hollow crystal sphere, and the stars are embedded on this sphere, as the Earth spins on its axis, an observer on Earth sees the stars rising and setting, following an arc, because the horizon prevents the observer from the full arc for stars that are further away from the Celestial Pole. The North Celestial Pole (and its opposite the South Celestial Pole) is essentially formed by extending the line of the Earth’s axis. Capturing this image requires the photographer to take a long exposure with the camera on a tripod and pointing towards the Pole Star (North Hemisphere). In the Southern Hemisphere there is no star as close as Polaris is to the Celestial Pole, so the position of the South Celestial Pole is found using the South Cross and Pointer Stars (Alpha and Beta Centauri). Although overall the image has a slight blue tint, it does capture the varying colours of stars, it is easy to distinguish between the higher temperature blue stars and the lower temperature of the whitish stars, and even lower temperature reddish stars. The reason for this variation in colour is because higher temperature stars emit more in shorter wavelengths (bluer), compared to lower temperature stars which emit in longer wavelengths (redder).
Credit: Fabrizio Melandri/IAU OAE
Glossary Terms:
Circumpolar Stars , Star Trail
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( image 6.11 MB)
The Rotating Planet
video
Created for the OAE
Caption: Second place winner in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category of Time-lapses of rotation of Big Dipper or Southern Cross.
A cosmic journey unfolds across continents in this time-lapse video which captures both iconic constellations from diverse corners of the world. Starting in China, the Big Dipper graces the night sky, a steadfast guide embedded in cultural narratives. Its luminance marks the beginning of this celestial odyssey. The two pointer stars on the end of the Big Dipper point to the North Star (Polaris) which appears to remain stationary as the sky rotates. From Nepal’s lofty peaks, the Big Dipper’s familiarity persists, a reliable fixture in the shifting panorama of the rotating planet. Moving to Chile, the Southern Cross adorns the firmament, emblematic of the southern skies. Frames from Chile showcase this constellation accompanied by the Milky Way Galaxy. In Namibia, a telescope from the H.E.S.S. Observatory appears in the video. Later, nestled beneath sheltering trees, the Big Dipper persists in its celestial prominence, appearing against a canvas of stars. Using varied techniques — fisheye lenses, static cameras, and Earth's movement-tracking — each frame unveils the Cross’s grandeur against diverse landscapes. These sequences — marked by star trails and Earth’s rotation—highlight the enduring presence of the Big Dipper and Southern Cross, bridging cultures and celestial beauty across hemispheres.
Credit: Jianfeng Dai/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
Glossary Terms:
Big Dipper , Celestial Pole , Celestial Sphere , Earth's Rotation , North Celestial Pole (NCP) , Polaris , Southern Cross , South Celestial Pole (SCP)
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
Tags:
astrophotography
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( video 863.53 MB)
The Big Dipper with the Sardinia Radio Telescope SRT
video
Created for the OAE
Caption: Honorable mention in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category of Time-lapses of rotation of Big Dipper or Southern Cross.
This time-lapse captures the movement of the stars alongside the majestic 64-metre Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) from the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), with special attention to the renowned Big Dipper against the backdrop of the celestial sphere. The camera pans as the famous asterism sinks in the sky while planes fly past and the radio telescope rotates. The harmonious interplay between the stellar pathways and the colossal dish of the radio telescope creates a mesmerising visual ode to the cosmic ballet taken in September 2019.
Credit: Antonio Finazzi/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
Glossary Terms:
Astronomy , Big Dipper , Celestial Pole , Celestial Sphere , Earth's Rotation , Observation , Polaris
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
Tags:
astrophotography
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
This file on Zenodo ( video 441.31 MB)
Copernicus's heliocentric system
image
Caption: Sketch of Copernicus's heliocentric model of the Solar System, from his book "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" (On the revolution of the heavenly spheres) published in 1543. Shown are the Sun as well as the orbits of Mercury, Venus, the Earth (itself orbited by the Moon), Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The outermost circle represents the sphere of the stars.
In this model, the Earth is not special – it is merely one planet, among several, orbiting the Sun. This was the first example for what is now known as the Copernican Principle: that our positions as observers in the universe is not special or privileged in any way. The shift from the geocentric to the heliocentric model of our universe is known as the Copernican revolution.
Credit: Nicolaus Copernicus
Credit Link
Glossary Terms:
Copernican Revolution , Heliocentric Model , Scientific Model , Copernican Principle
Categories:
Solar System
License: Public Domain Public Domain icons
File
( image
702.64 kB)
