Pristine Sky of Lut Desert in a Fulldome and VR 360º Starry Nightscape Scene
A fulldome view and a 360º Virtual Reality nightscape scene, shows the celestial sphere above Lut Desert, full of colors, from Milky Way hues up to the bright greenish airglow mixed against the background sky. The impressive rocky scene could be out of this world, revealing a reddish ground resembling the martian soil.
PT: Uma visão All Sky e de Realidade Virtual 360º, mostra a esfera celeste acima do deserto de Lut, no Irão, repleta de cores e um céu estrelado pristino, a revelar os tons da Via Láctea e o brilho esverdeado do airglow que se mistura com o céu de fundo. A impressionante cena rochosa poderia ser de outro mundo, revelando um solo avermelhado que lembra o solo marciano.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Summer and Winter Parts of Milky Way in a VR 360º Immersive Starry Scene
An all sky and 360º Virtual Reality scene captured at the end of Summer season from Natural Park of Noudar, in Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, shows a mosaic made of single shots with a galactic arch shinning above the Noudar quiet house and fields. The arch itself is featuring the core of “Summer Milky Way” which is gradually disappearing in the western horizon due to the time of the year, while in the opposite direction of the arch (left side), in the Eastern sky, the “Winter Milky Way” is start to appearing with Pleiades star cluster rising above the horizon. Summer Triangle is still highlighting the center of the all sky image. Left center – in the beginning of the Milky Way faintest path – a bright elliptic and diffuse dot belongs to Andromeda Galaxy and below it, is also visible an even fainter light coming from Triangle galaxy. Lower center, close to the horizon and above the house roof, shows the bright light from planet Jupiter. The background sky is also featuring the greenish presence of airglow. Captured with a Sony A7sIII at ISO8000 Exp: 5 secs for each image of the mosaic with a G master lens 24mm f/1.4. Below is available two Virtual Realities 360º of this scene. You can experience a full 7K resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
PT: Um cenário nocturno estrelado captado no final do Verão a partir do Parque de Natureza de Noudar, no território Dark Sky® Alqueva, mostra a versão all sky e de Realidade Virtual 360º de um mosaico de disparos únicos com o arco galáctico brilhando sobre a casa do Parque de Noudar. O próprio arco apresenta o núcleo da “Via Láctea de Verão” que parece desaparecer gradualmente no horizonte ocidental devido à época do ano, enquanto na direção oposta do arco (lado esquerdo), no céu oriental, a “ Via Láctea de Inverno” começa a aparecer com o aglomerado de estrelas Pleiades visível acima do horizonte. O Triângulo de Verão ainda se consegue destacar na zona central desta visão all sky. No centro esquerdo – no início do caminho mais fraco da Via Láctea – um ponto elíptico e difuso brilhante pertence à Galáxia de Andrómeda e abaixo desta, também se encontra visível uma luz ainda mais fraca provninente da galáxia do Triângulo. O centro inferior, próximo ao horizonte e acima do telhado da casa, mostra a luz brilhante do planeta Júpiter. O céu de fundo também revela a presença esverdeada do airglow – luminescência fotoquímica da atmosfera. Imagens captadas com uma Sony A7sIII a ISO8000 Exp: 5seg para cada imagem do mosaico objectiva G master 24mm f/1.4. O leitor pode assim experienciar esta Realidade Virtual em alta-resolução 7K usando o seu desktop ou smartphone com giroscópio. Uma ótima experiência “in loco” pode ser alcançada se usar óculos de realidade virtual.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Total Lunar Eclipse and Milky Way Shining in a VR 360º Starry Scene
Captured on the wonderful century old mine of São Domingos, in Achada do Gamo, Dark Sky® Alqueva – Mértola, an all sky and 360º Virtual Reality scene features the arch of Milky Way shining high in the Sky. Summer Triangle highlights the center of the image, with blueish Vega near the top. Left lower center – in the beginning of the Milky Way faintest path – a bright elliptic and diffuse dot is the light coming from Andromeda Galaxy. In the lower center and between the two strcutures are shining planets Jupiter and Mars, being Saturn visible as well, but more to the center right. On the right edge, shines the dusty core of Milky Way galaxy full of emission nebulae and close to Rho Ophiuchi clouds complex, an unusual bright orange glow belongs to an eclipsed super moon for being under the Earth shadow cone. Below is available two Virtual Realities 360º of this scene. You can experience a full 7K resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Milky Way All Sky and VR 360º Night Experience During Perseids Meteor Shower
A full dome and 360º Virtual Reality nightscape scene reveals a mosaic of single shots where the arch of Summer Milky Way shines high and bright against a starry night sky during Perseids meteor shower, above the mountains and lake of Dark Sky® Aldeias do Xisto – a certified Starlight Tourist Destination in the center of Portugal. In the background, Summer Triangle highlights the center of the image, while the dusty core of Milky Way galaxy is visible above the mountain range close to the horizon. On the center right, the two brightest stars above the moutain belongs to the giant Jupiter and Saturn. The best meteors captured during the shower and visible on the scene were star aligned with accuracy of a sub-pixel to help reveal the overall show with a composite of the Radiant, the single point in the night sky where all these shooting stars seems to appear.
PT: Um cenário All Sky e de Realidade Virtual 360º revela um mosaico de fotos individuais onde o arco da Via Láctea de Verão brilha alto contra um céu nocturno estrelado durante a chuva de meteoros Perseidas, acima das montanhas e lago no Dark Sky® Aldeias do Xisto, no centro de Portugal – um Destino Turístico Starlight certificado no centro de Portugal. Ao fundo, o Triângulo de Verão destaca o centro da imagem, enquanto o núcleo empoeirado da Via Láctea é visível acima das montanhas perto do horizonte. No centro à direita, as duas estrelas mais brilhantes acima da montanha pertencem aos gigantes Júpiter e Saturno. Os meteoros mais brilhantes captados durante a chuva e visíveis na imagem foram alinhados com a precisão de um sub-pixel para ajudar a revelar na composição, o Radiante, o único ponto no céu noturno onde todas essas estrelas cadentes aparentam aparecer.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Milky Way All Sky and VR 360º Night Experience above Castro de Palheiros in Dark Sky® Vale do Tua
A full dome and 360º Virtual Reality scene features the path of Milky Way shining high in the night sky, above Castro de Palheiros, or Fragada of Castro, territory of Dark Sky® Vale do Tua – a new certified Starlight Tourist Destination. Located in the heart of Natural Park of Tua Valley, in the northern part of Portugal, “is an imposing quartzite ridge that was being carved and built by the people of Murça region, between the beginning of the third millennium BC up to the present”, according to the Interpretative Center of this region. In the background, Summer Triangle highlights the center of the image, with blueish star Vega near the top. At the upper left corner – in the beginning of the Milky Way – a bright elliptic and diffuse dot is the light coming from Andromeda Galaxy. In the opposite direction – lower horizon – shines the dusty core of Milky Way galaxy full emission nebulae featuring a reddish pink hues. On the left side of the all sky scene – lies also planets Jupiter, visible with its bright light near the quartzite rock. Below is available a Virtual Realities 360º of this scene. You can experience a full 7K resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
PT: Um cenário All Sky e de Realidade Virtual 360º, apresenta o caminho da Via Láctea brilhando alto no céu noturno, acima do Castro de Palheiros, ou Fragada de Castro, território do Dark Sky® Vale do Tua – um novo Destino Turístico Starlight certificado. Situado no coração do Parque Natural do Vale do Tua, no norte de Portugal, o Castro “é uma imponente crista quartzítica que foi sendo esculpida e construída pelas populações da região de Murça, entre o início do terceiro milénio antes de Cristo até ao presente, segundo o Centro Interpretativo da região. Em pano de fundo, destaca-se o Triângulo do Verão ao centro da imagem, com a estrela azulada Vega a brilhar próximo do centro. No canto superior esquerdo – no início da Via Láctea – um ponto elíptico brilhante e difuso, pertence à luz da Galáxia vizinha de Andrómeda. Na direção oposta, perto do horizonte inferior, brilha o núcleo empoeirado da nossa galáxia Via Láctea, salpicado por uma imensidão de nebulosas de emissão que brilham em tons de rosa avermelhado. No lado esquerdo desta imagem circular de grande campo, encontram-se os planeta Júpiter, bem visível com a sua luz brilhante. Abaixo estão disponíveis duas Realidades Virtuais 360º desta imagem. O leitor pode assim experienciar esta Realidade Virtual em alta-resolução 7K usando o seu desktop ou smartphone com giroscópio. Uma ótima experiência “in loco” pode ser alcançada se usar óculos de realidade virtual.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Milky Way Shines in a VR 360º Starry Labeled Scene above São Domingos Mine
Captured on the wonderful century old mine of São Domingos, in Achada do Gamo, Dark Sky® Alqueva – Mértola, an all sky and 360º Virtual Reality scene features the arch of Milky Way shining high in the Sky. Summer Triangle highlights the center of the image, with blueish Vega near the top. At the upper left corner – in the beginning of the Milky Way – a bright elliptic and diffuse dot is the light coming from Andromeda Galaxy. In the opposite direction, close to the horizon shines the dusty core of the galaxy also reflected in a puddle of acid water. On the left side of the all sky scene – lies planets Saturn and Jupiter, visible with its bright light. Below is available two Virtual Realities 360º of this scene. One with the single image, and another with a labeled version where constellations and main deep sky objects visible are identified as a celestial planisphere. All the asterism lines and identifications were made manually by me. You can experience a full 7K resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
Above is available the Virtual Reality 360º in a labeled version where constellations and main deep sky objects visible are identified as a celestial planisphere. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
Acima está disponível a Realidade Virtual 360º em uma versão anotada em que se podem apreciar os asterismos das constelações e os principais objetos do céu profundo visíveis, assim identificados como num planisfério celeste. Uma ótima experiência “in loco” pode ser alcançada se usar óculos de realidade virtual.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Planet Alqueva Under the Moonlight in a VR 360º Scene
Captured in Dark Sky® Alqueva Lake, a Little Planet and 360º Virtual Reality scene, shows the fields surrounding the lake spread by olive trees, holm oak and cork trees, with its long shadows cast by the lower angle of moonlight, while in the opposite direction of the sky, is faintly visible the arch of Milky Way rising above the Eastern horizon, yet immersed in the blueish scattered light from the moon, while interacting with our atmosphere. Summer Triangle is totally visible with blueish Vega near the top, while Ursa Major (Big Dipper) dominates the Zenith of the full dome 360º VR view. Below is available a Virtual Reality 360º scene, which you can experience in full resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Looking Deep Into our Milky Way Galaxy from Ojos Del Salar – All Sky and VR 360º Scene
An all sky view and 360º Virtual Reality scene, features the path of Milky Way with its core shining high in the sky of Atacama Desert. This full dome mosaic comprises 27 still images photographed from Ojos Del Salar, two small lagoons standing close each other forming like a pair of eyes point high up. Located in the middle of nowhere, in Atacama Desert, they can be found almost 30km from San Pedro de Atacama, in the northern part of Chile. The rocky desert of Atacama, sometimes reminds me of the reddish martian soil. On July, in the Southern Hemisphere the core of Milky Way galaxy stands very high in the sky, touching the Zenith this time of the year. The center of the image features the dusty core of the galaxy, with a special guest visible, planet Jupiter is also there, shinning very close to Rho Ophiuchi colorful cloud complex. In the opposite direction, the faint band from Zodiacal light in crossing the entire half of the scene. In this full dome view, the small lagoon is visible in the right side of the celestial sphere, full of reflected stars, stands up in the scene like the shape of a crescent Moon. After the iconic unusual portrait showing what could be a big “Martian Eye” looking deep to our Milky Way Galaxy, published as APOD on April 2020, I decided to create a Virtual Reality 360º image of this same scene, which you can experience in full resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Milky Way All Sky and VR 360º Night Experience from Death Valley
An all sky view and 360º Virtual Reality scene, features the path of Milky Way with its core shining above the horizon as seen from Death Valley National Park, in California, US. This full dome mosaic comprises 15 still images photographed from Zabriskie Point. The Milky Way was high in the Sky during that time (August) and the air temperature at midnight, was 41 centrigrade degrees. In the top center, a blue bright star Vega, from Lyra constellation, is forming an asterism well known as the “Summer Triangle” with stars Deneb (from Cygnus) and Altair (from Aquila). Close to the horizon, above the Amargosa mountain range, the core of Milky Way galaxy is shinning with its bright dust, and immersed in, are visible many emission nebulae featuring a reddish pink hue. Super giant star Antares, is the yellowish bright light at the right side of the galaxy core, visible among the “Dark River”, a brown dust lane which spans about 100 light years, and visually connects Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex to the center of the galaxy. You can experience in full resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses VR glasses.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
All Sky and VR 360º View of Milky Way Crossing the Sky Over Picos de Europa
An all sky view and 360º Virtual Reality scene captured in June 2015 during an expedition to Picos de Europa National Park, in Northern Spain, reveals the Milky Way path touching the Zenith. While the ground is surrounded by mountains and a lonely chalet, in the top center of the sky, a bright star is shinning in blue hues. Vega, from Lyra constellation, is forming an asterism well know as the “Summer Triangle” with stars Deneb (from Cygnus) and Altair (from Aquila). At the left side, the core of Milky Way galaxy is well positioned above the horizon featuring the colorful cosmic dust which comprises many deep sky wonders like emission nebulae, dark or reflection nebulae, as well as many globular star clusters. You can experience in full resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses VR glasses.
PT: Uma visão panorâmica all sky e de realidade virtual a 360º, captada em Junho de 2015 durante uma expedição ao Parque Nacional Picos de Europa, no Norte da Espanha, revela o caminho brilhante da Via Láctea tocando o Zénite. Enquanto a paisagem terrestre está cercado por montanhas e um chalet solitário, no centro do céu, uma estrela brilhante reluz em tons de azul. Vega, da constelação Lyra, forma assim um asterismo conhecido como “Triângulo do Verão”, com as estrelas Deneb (de Cygnus) e Altair (de Aquila). No lado esquerdo, a Via Láctea está bem posicionado acima do horizonte, apresentando o colorido pó cósmico que compreende muitas maravilhas do céu profundo, como nebulosas de emissão, nebulosas escuras ou de reflexão, bem como enxames globulares de estrelas longínquas. Em baixo poderá desfrutar da experiência de Realidade Virtual a 360º na máxima resolução usando o seu desktop ou smartphone com giroscópio. Uma ótima experiência “in loco” pode ser alcançada se usar óculos de realidade virtual.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
ISS Crossing the Entire Sky and the Moon in a Fish-eye Full Dome Scene
The image shows a fish-eye full dome sequence of the ISS – International Space Station – crossing the entire sky while transiting in front of the crescent moon over Borba region, in Alentejo, Portugal, on 18th January 2021 at UT 19h14m41s. In the background, a moonlight starry sky shows the path of the brightest winter constellations while in the top edge is visible the faint dragged light of Milky Way. In the foreground, shines my septup with telescope and cameras pointing high, while I was enjoying and registering in a close-up view, this rare transit of the ISS against the moon. Below is available a close-up sequence and a time lapse video captured during this event. Click on each image below to entering in each dedicated page.
PT: A imagem revela uma sequência captada com uma lente fish-eye circular (180º) da ISS – Estação Espacial Internacional – cruzando ao longo do céu enquanto transitou em frente à lua crescente sobre a região de Borba, no Alentejo, Portugal, a 18 de janeiro de 2021 pelas 19h14m41s UT. Em pano de fundo, um céu estrelado ao luar revela o caminho das constelações de inverno mais brilhantes, enquanto no topo é visível a luz fraca e arrastada da Via Láctea. Em primeiro plano, reluz o meu setup composto por um telescópio e uma câmara apontada para o alto, enquanto desfrutava e registava em close-up este raro trânsito da Estação Espacial em frente à lua. Em baixo é possível aceder a uma imagem close-up e a uma sequência video time lapse captada durante este evento. Click em cada imagem para aceder à respectiva página.
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Galactic Arm and Greenish Air Glow above Steppe Golden Fields of Mértola – All Sky and VR 360º Scene
Captured on a steppe field from the wonderful region of Mértola in Dark Sky® Alqueva, and featured in a panoramic view as NASA’s APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day, an all sky and 360º Virtual Reality scene, features the arch of Milky Way shining high in the Sky. Summer Triangle highlights the center of the image, with blueish Vega near the top. At the upper half right side – in the beginning of the Milky Way – a bright elliptic and diffuse dot is the light coming from Andromeda Galaxy. The greenish horizon is surrounded and involved in airglow and some thin high clouds. Located at one o´clock shines an orange dot, it’s not a star, but the close planet Mars in opposition. In the opposite horizon of this large circular field – left upper edge of the all sky scene – lies planets Saturn and Jupiter against the dusty core of our Milky Way Galaxy. Below is available a Virtual Reality 360º image, which you can experience in full resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO
Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Aurora Green Stripes and Dark Bands on a Full Dome Time Lapse Sequence
A full dome time lapse scene captured with a circular fisheye lens during a surprisingly active night at the end of October, features a northern lights show all over the sky with the formation of very fast auroras above Seljalandsfoss cliffs. High in the sky – at the end of the short 10 secs sequence available below – beautiful large green stripes intercalated by dark bands are visible crossing the sky overhead, where also can be seen in the background, the faint path of our winter Milky Way in slow motion.
PT: Esta imagem All sky captada com uma lente olho de peixe circular durante uma noite surpreendentemente ativa no final de outubro, revela as interacções das particulas carregadas provenientes do sol, com o nosso campo magnético terrestre, resultando assim no aparecimento das tão esperadas “luzes do norte”. Nessa noite, a dança estendiam-se a toda a esfera celeste com auroras muito rápidas visíveis acima dos penhascos de Seljalandsfoss. No alto do céu – no final desta curta sequência de 10 segundos – grandes faixas esverdeadas e intercaladas por bandas escuras eram visíveis cruzando o céu acima, já em pano de fundo, o ténue caminho da Via Láctea de inverno era prefeitamente perceptível mum lento e mágico movimento rotacional.
Full Dome View from Saint Petersburg Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
A fish-eye fulldome view shows one of the iconics landmarks of Saint Petersburg, in Russia, the Orthodox Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, erected on the precise site where emperor Alexander II was fatally attacked. Featuring the largest collection of mosaics in Russia, during the war, the church had serious damages in the walls and a high-explosive bomb was stuck for a long period of about 20th years in one of the walls without being noticed and by miracle, without exploding. Even being captured in night time and under the street lights, it´s artistic beauty can not be hidden, like it was happening with most of the stars under the effect of light pollution. Only bright stars like Vega can be well visible from polluted skies, being the brightest path on the background sky, it represents the sideral motion of a star over the course of one hour, which is approximately 15º.
PT: Uma visão olho de peixe circular revela um dos marcos emblemáticos de São Petersburgo, na Rússia, a Igreja Ortodoxa do Salvador do Sangue Derramado, erguida no local exacto em que o imperador Alexandre II foi fatalmente atacado. Exibindo a maior coleção de mosaicos da Rússia, durante a guerra, a igreja sofreu sérios danos nas paredes e uma bomba altamente explosiva ficou presa por um longo período de 20 anos em uma das paredes, sem que ninguém notasse e por milagre, sem explodir. Mesmo tendo sido captada durante o periodo noctunro e sob a influência da iluminação pública, a sua beleza artística não pode ser apagada, tal como acontece com a maioria das estrelas que sob o efeito da poluição luminosa, parecem desvanecer. Somente estrelas mais brilhantes como Vega, podem ser visíveis em céus poluídos. Registada nesta imagem como o rasto mais brilhante no céu de fundo, representa assim o movimento sideral de uma estrela ao longo de uma hora, o equivalente a cerca de 15º.
Full Dome Startrail from Inside the Official Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory in Cumeada
The official Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory and headquarters, located in Cumeada – a small village near Reguengos de Monsaraz – is equipped with cutting-edge telescopes for solar and astronomical purposes. With a totally new design after being re-built and expanded in 2019, a roll-off roof observatory shows an open window to the Universe, providing a one life experience under the stars that you can´t skip! If you didn´t try it yet, you must include it as a priority on your bucket list. From observing the planets up to looking at the craters on the moon, everything is possible under an unpolluted sky with the guidance of a professional astronomer from Dark Sky® Alqueva. On moonless nights, you can dive deeper in the sky with your own eyes, embarking on a cosmic journey among nebulae, galaxies and the swarms of stars which rise above us in one of the finest skies in the world. The image features a startrail as result of a sequence of shots taken with a full dome fish-eye lens, from inside the Observatory, in Cumeada.
PT: O Observatório e Sede Oficial Dark Sky® Alqueva, localizado na Cumeada – uma pequena aldeia perto de Reguengos de Monsaraz – está equipado com telescópios de ponta para fins solares e astronómicos. Com um design totalmente novo, depois de ter sido reconstruído e expandido em 2019, um observatório de tecto retráctil mostra uma janela aberta para o Universo, proporcionando “a experiência de uma vida” sob um céu estrelado, algo que você não devia perder! Se ainda não tentou, inclua já esta experiência única como uma prioridade a realizar na sua “bucket list”. Desde observar os planetas até olhar as crateras na Lua, tudo é possível sob um céu não poluído, com a orientação de um astrónomo profissional do Dark Sky® Alqueva. Nas noites sem lua, você pode mergulhar mais fundo no céu com seus próprios olhos, embarcando em uma jornada cósmica entre nebulosas, galáxias e enxames de estrelas que se erguem acima de nós, num dos melhores céus do mundo. A imagem revela uma visão full dome de um startrail captado com uma lente fish-eye a partir do Observatório da Cumeada.
Full Dome View from the Official Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory in Cumeada
The official Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory and headquarters, located in Cumeada – a small village near Reguengos de Monsaraz – is equipped with cutting-edge telescopes for solar and astronomical purposes. With a totally new design after being re-built and expanded in 2019, a roll-off roof observatory shows an open window to the Universe, providing a one life experience under the stars that you can´t skip! If you didn´t try it yet, you must include it as a priority on your bucket list. From observing the planets up to looking at the craters on the moon, everything is possible under an unpolluted sky with the guidance of a professional astronomer from Dark Sky® Alqueva. On moonless nights, you can dive deeper in the sky with your own eyes, embarking on a cosmic journey among nebulae, galaxies and the swarms of stars which rise above us in one of the finest skies in the world. The image features a single shot captured with a full dome fish-eye lens.
PT: O Observatório e Sede Oficial Dark Sky® Alqueva, localizado na Cumeada – uma pequena aldeia perto de Reguengos de Monsaraz – está equipado com telescópios de ponta para fins solares e astronómicos. Com um design totalmente novo, depois de ter sido reconstruído e expandido em 2019, um observatório de tecto retráctil mostra uma janela aberta para o Universo, proporcionando “a experiência de uma vida” sob um céu estrelado, algo que você não devia perder! Se ainda não tentou, inclua já esta experiência única como uma prioridade a realizar na sua “bucket list”. Desde observar os planetas até olhar as crateras na Lua, tudo é possível sob um céu não poluído, com a orientação de um astrónomo profissional do Dark Sky® Alqueva. Nas noites sem lua, você pode mergulhar mais fundo no céu com seus próprios olhos, embarcando em uma jornada cósmica entre nebulosas, galáxias e enxames de estrelas que se erguem acima de nós, num dos melhores céus do mundo. A imagem revela uma visão full dome captada com uma lente fish-eye.
Full Dome Fish-eye View from the Ancient Old Jaffa Port in Tel Aviv
The image features a full dome fish-eye view where only trails of the brightest stars from constellations like Geminids, Orion or Canis Major can be revealed against a light polluted sky and under the moonlight. In the foreground, a traveller is watching the sky above the Old Jaffa Port (also known as Namal Yafo) was the ancient port of the city of Jaffa, in Israel, out of which modern day Tel Aviv has grown. The Old Jaffa Port is reputed to be one of the oldest ports in the world, for over 7,000 years it has been actively used, predating Muslims, Christians, Jews, and even Egyptians. Notably being the port from which Jonah set off in the famous Biblical story of Jonah and the Whale. Today the port is used largely by local fishermen who continue the centuries old tradition of the area according to the source, Tourist Israel.
PT: A imagem mostra uma visão olho de peixe de 180º onde apenas os rastos das estrelas mais brilhantes de constelações como Gémeos, Orion ou o Cão Maior, podem ser revelados contra um céu sob forte efeito da poluição luminosa e da presença da Lua. Em primeiro plano, um viajante observa o céu acima do “Old Jaffa Port” (também conhecido como Namal Yafo), o antigo porto da cidade de Jaffa, em Israel, sob o qual hoje em dia Tel Aviv cresceu. O Porto Velho de Jaffa, tem a reputação de ser um dos portos mais antigos do mundo, há mais de 7.000 anos tem sido usado ativamente, precedendo muçulmanos, cristãos, judeus e até egípcios. Notavelmente sendo o porto de onde Jonas partiu na famosa história bíblica de Jonas e da Baleia. Hoje o porto é usado em grande parte pelos pescadores locais que continuam a tradição centenária da região segundo a fonte Tourist Israel.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
A startrail sequence captured with a Canon 6D | 8mm fish-eye lens at f/4 | ISO2500 | Exp. 1/3 sec.
All Sky View of Geminids Meteor Shower and Comet 46P/Wirtanen
A fisheye full dome view from headquarters of Dark Sky® Alqueva reserve, in Cumeada, shows a moonlight night after the peak of Geminids meteor shower. This composite shows the radiant of Geminids, located in Gemini constellation and near the star Castor, is combining 8 images where meteors were captured during a period of about 3h. Comet 46P/Wirtanen is also visible in Taurus constellation, making an historic close approach to Earth. The beautiful greenish-blue coma is very well visible even in this ultra wide-field view. High in the sky, and not faraway from 46/P Wirtanen, is shinning bright the blueish cluster of hot and young stars known as Pleiades (M45).
PT: Uma visão fisheye full dome captada a partir da sede da reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, na Cumeada, mostra uma noite de luar após o pico da chuva de meteoros Geminídeas. Este compósito mostra o radiante da chuva de meteoros localizado na constelação de Gémeos, perto da estrela Castor, combinando 8 imagens de meteoros captados durante um período de cerca de 3h. O cometa 46P / Wirtanen, é também é visível na constelação do Touro, fazendo uma aproximação histórica à Terra. A tonalidade azul-esverdeada do coma – a nuvem de poeira e gás que circunda o núcleo de um cometa – é bem visível nesta imagem “all sky” ultra grande-angular. Alto no céu, e não muito longe do 46/P Wirtanen, brilha ainda em tons de azul, o aglomerado de estrelas quentes e jovens conhecidas como Pleiades (M45).
My Helmet´s Vision of the Milky Way
A large panoramic image of 9 single frames captured from edge-to- edge, shows the long path of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. Besides the well know “Summer Triangle” with stars Deneb (from Cygnus), Altair (from Aquila) and Vega (from Lyra constellation), this colourful “helmet view” scene is featuring another larger and less usual triangle. This time, an asterism formed by planet Mars – the orange bright object in the upper left corner of the sky – the Andromeda Galaxy – the faint oblong object in upper right corner – as well as Vega, the blue bright star in the low center. The reddish hues spread around the Milky Way, are emission nebulae, stellar nurseries like North America Nebula (NGC7000). Located in Cygnus constellation, is an easily recognisable shape in the center of this lovely scene captured from Campinho, a small village in the hearth of Dark Sky® Alqueva reserve, Portugal.
PT: Uma grande panorâmica composta por 9 fotografias únicas, captadas de um horizonte ao outro, mostra o longo caminho da nossa própria galáxia, a Via Láctea, vista a partir do Hemisfério Norte. Além do já conhecido “Triângulo de Verão” formado pelas estrelas Deneb (do Cisne), Altair (da Águia) e Vega, da constelação Lira, esta colorida cena celeste que mais se assemelha à visão que teríamos a partir de um capacete, apresenta outro triângulo maior e menos comum. Desta vez, um asterismo formado pelo planeta Marte – o objeto laranja brilhante no canto superior esquerdo do céu – a galáxia de Andromeda – o objeto difuso e oblongo no canto superior direito – bem como Vega, a estrela azul brilhante perto do centro. Os tons avermelhados espalhados pela Via Láctea são nebulosas de emissão, berçários estelares como a Nebulosa América do Norte (NGC7000). Localizada na constelação do Cisne, é uma forma facilmente reconhecível no centro desta encantadora cena captada no Campinho, uma pequena vila no coração da reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
A Full Dome View from Peak District
This full dome fisheye view, shows the sky above Peak District in a cold winter moonlight night, with a smooth presence of the Milky Way crossing the center of the image surrounded by high trees. If you climb up the mountain you will find a curious stone named Mother Cap as well as great views.
PT: Esta vista fisheye circular, mostra o céu acima de Peak District, UK, numa fria noite de luar de inverno, onde é possível ver a suave presença da Via Láctea cruzando o centro da imagem e cercada por árvores altas. Se subirmos a montanha desta região, encontraremos uma curiosa formação de pedra chamada de Mother Cap e ótimas vistas circundantes.
All Sky – Light Trails in Pulo do Lobo
A fish-eye “full dome” scene captured in Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, shows a starry sky trailed in a long exposure sequence with some bright and colourful light trails from the winter constellations that are surrounding Polaris, the northern star, remembering us that Earth Rotation never stops. In the landscape is visible a dramatic stretch of Guadiana River located about 18 kms north of Mértola, where the Guadiana river bed is reduced to a narrow strait a few meters wide, followed by a small waterfall with about 4m high. The margins on this site are tall and stony, and so tight that they have given rise to a legend that says that a wolf in hunting could transports them in a jump.
PT: Uma visão fish-eye “full-dome” de 180º captada no Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, mostra os rastos de estrelas brilhantes e coloridas das constelações de inverno que circundam a estrela Polar. Em baixo, a paisagem revela o mais dramático trecho do rio Guadiana, situado a cerca de 18 kms a Norte de Mértola, onde o leito do rio Guadiana fica reduzido a um estreito rápido com poucos metros de largura, seguido de uma pequena queda de água com cerca de 4m de altura. As margens neste local apresentam-se altas e pedregosas, e tão apertadas que deram origem a uma lenda que afirma que um lobo em caça as transpõe em um salto.
All Sky View – A Winter Milky Way Crossing the Zenith from Pulo do Lobo
A fish-eye “full dome” scene captured in Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, shows the faint path of light from the winter Milky Way crossing the sky near the zenith, above the most dramatic stretch of Guadiana River, located about 18 kms north of Mértola, is where the Guadiana river bed is reduced to a narrow strait a few meters wide, followed by a small waterfall with about 4m high. The margins on this site are tall and stony, and so tight that they have given rise to a legend that says that a wolf in hunting could transports them in a jump.
PT: Uma visão fish-eye “full-dome” de 180º captada no Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, mostra o ténue caminho de luz da Via Láctea de inverno cruzando o Zénite, acima do mais dramático trecho do rio Guadiana, situado a cerca de 18 kms a Norte de Mértola, onde o leito do rio Guadiana fica reduzido a um estreito rápido com poucos metros de largura, seguido de uma pequena queda de água com cerca de 4m de altura. As margens neste local apresentam-se altas e pedregosas, e tão apertadas que deram origem a uma lenda que afirma que um lobo em caça as transpõe em um salto.
A Vortex of Light from the Winter Sky
A fish-eye “full dome” scene captured in Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, shows a starry sky trailed in a long exposure sequence with some bright and colourful light trails from the winter constellations that are surrounding Polaris, the northern star, remembering us that Earth Rotation never stops. In the landscape is visible a dramatic stretch of Guadiana River located about 18 kms north of Mértola, where the Guadiana river bed is reduced to a narrow strait a few meters wide, followed by a small waterfall with about 4m high. The margins on this site are tall and stony, and so tight that they have given rise to a legend that says that a wolf in hunting could transports them in a jump.
PT: Uma visão fish-eye “full-dome” de 180º captada no Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, mostra os rastos de estrelas brilhantes e coloridas das constelações de inverno que circundam a estrela Polar. Em baixo, a paisagem revela o mais dramático trecho do rio Guadiana, situado a cerca de 18 kms a Norte de Mértola, onde o leito do rio Guadiana fica reduzido a um estreito rápido com poucos metros de largura, seguido de uma pequena queda de água com cerca de 4m de altura. As margens neste local apresentam-se altas e pedregosas, e tão apertadas que deram origem a uma lenda que afirma que um lobo em caça as transpõe em um salto.
Full Dome View of Pulo do Lobo in a Winter Night
A fish-eye “full dome” scene captured in Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, shows the faint path of light from the winter Milky Way above the most dramatic stretch of Guadiana River, located about 18 kms north of Mértola, is where the Guadiana river bed is reduced to a narrow strait a few meters wide, followed by a small waterfall with about 4m high. The margins on this site are tall and stony, and so tight that they have given rise to a legend that says that a wolf in hunting could transports them in a jump.
PT: Uma visão fish-eye “full-dome” de 180º captada no Pulo do Lobo, Dark Sky® Alqueva Mértola, mostra o ténue caminho de luz da Via Láctea de inverno, acima do mais dramático trecho do rio Guadiana, situado a cerca de 18 kms a Norte de Mértola, onde o leito do rio Guadiana fica reduzido a um estreito rápido com poucos metros de largura, seguido de uma pequena queda de água com cerca de 4m de altura. As margens neste local apresentam-se altas e pedregosas, e tão apertadas que deram origem a uma lenda que afirma que um lobo em caça as transpõe em um salto.
Milky Way Crossing the Entire Sky of La Palma
PT: Nesta imagem “full dome” captada com uma lente “olho-peixe de 180º” é possível ver a Via Láctea atravessando o céu de La Palma, enquanto na parte superior se encontra visível o Laser Verde do William Herschel Telescope (WHT) projecto em direcção ao Zénite (centro da imagem). Na direcção oposta do céu, (região inferior) encontra-se o Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Fotografia captada nas montanhas rochosas de Roque de Los Muchachos, em La Palma, nas Ilhas Canárias.
If the Shadows Were Roots
EN: This full dome view show a blue sky filled with winter stars like Sirius or bright constellations like Orion, is illuminated by the Moonlight working as a perfect background to highlight the silhouette from the Giant Chestnut tree of Guilhafonso in Guarda, Portugal, while in the field, its projection creates the illusion like if the shadows were roots. This century-old tree is considered the largest of its kind in Europe. This is a specimen of 9.60 meters trunk circumference, 19 meters in height, average crown diameter of 25.5 meters and an estimated age of over 400 years. Residents ensure that they need at least nine people to embrace its trunk. In 2015 the giant chestnut won new liveliness after having been treated which allowed it to still giving chestnuts nowadays.
PT: Nesta imagem All Sky, um céu azul repleto de estrelas de inverno como Sirius ou constelações brilhantes como Orion, é iluminado pelo luar funcionando como o pano de fundo perfeito para destacar a imponente silhueta do Castanheiro Gigante de Guilhafonso, na Guarda, Portugal, enquanto a projecção das sombras em terra nos dá a ilusão como se as mesmas fossem as suas próprias raízes. Esta árvore centenária é considerada a maior da sua espécie na Europa. Trata-se de um espécime de 9,60 metros de perímetro de tronco, 19 metros de altura, diâmetro médio da copa de 25,5 metros e uma idade estimada em mais de 400 anos. Os residentes garantem que são precisas pelo menos nove pessoas para abraçar o seu tronco. Em 2015, depois de ter sido submetido a um tratamento, o castanheiro gigante ganhou nova vivacidade o que permitiu continuar dar nozes até aos dias de hoje.
Full Eye over London City
This full dome “eye view” from London city during the twilight, shows de Crescent Moon at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
Dreaming Sphere
A path of light illuminates our land on Earth, but in the same way, a light cloud of gas and dust is shining bright and high in the sky of this full dome view. In the foreground, a dead tree is standing below the gigantic arc of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This “dreaming sphere” was captured in Noudar Park, Alqueva Dark Sky® Reserve, Barrancos.
PT: Um caminho de luz ilumina a Terra, enquanto simultaneamente uma nuvem luminosa de gás e poeira cósmica brilha alto no céu desta visão “full dome”. Em primeiro plano, uma árvore morta mantém-se erguida abaixo do gigantesco arco galáctico da Via Láctea. Esta “esfera de sonhos” foi captada no Parque de Natureza de Noudar, em Barrancos, na Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva.
A Cork Tree Surrounded by a Strong Presence of Airglow
EN: An all sky – fulldome view – of a huge Cork trees with a background full of green yellowed Air Glow (Atmospheric Chemiluminescence) that surrounds the entire Earth and can be seen from space. Sky of Alandroal | Alqueva Dark Sky
PT: Uma visão all sky de um grande sobreiro, onde por detrás deste e em pano de fundo, é possível observar a forte presença de Air glow, um fenómeno conhecido por luminescência fotoquímica da atmosfera com a presença de um tom verde amarelado junto ao horizonte, é uma emissão que rodeia todo o planeta Terra e pode ser vista do espaço. Céu do Alandroal | Dark Sky Alqueva
Zodiacal Light and Milky Way above Dark Sky Alqueva
EN: Only possible to observe in a really dark and special sky, like it is the Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, the tenuous presence of the Zodiacal Light forming almost a “V” with the opposite direction of Milky Way. The zodiacal light is a faint light beam that extends along the ecliptic plane, where they are the constellations of the Zodiac. It is caused by the scattering of sunlight in cosmic dust particles that can be found scattered all over the Solar System | Naveterra homestead, Sky of Alandroal
PT: Só possível de observar num céu bem escuro e especial como o da Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, a ténue presença da Luz Zodiacal forma quase um “V” em oposição à Via Láctea. A luz zodiacal é um feixe de luz fraca que se estende ao longo do plano da eclíptica, onde estão as constelações do Zodíaco. É causada pela dispersão da luz solar nas partículas de poeira cósmica que se podem encontrar espalhadas um pouco por todo o Sistema Solar | Herdade Naveterra, Céu do Alandroal
Outside of Earth
EN: An “All Sky” view of Moonlit scene forming the appearance of a little planet Earth.
PT: Uma visão “All Sky” de um cenário enluarado formando a aparência de um pequeno planeta Terra.
Olive Trees under the Milky Way
EN: An “All Sky” view revealing the arm and center of Milky Way above the olive trees, that so well characterizes the Alentejo region as well as the quality of its olive oil | Sky Barrancos
PT: Um “All Sky” revelando o braço e centro da Via Láctea acima das oliveiras que tão bem caracterizam a região do Alentejo e a qualidade do seu Azeite daí proveniente | Céu de Barrancos
The Dark Sky “Planet”
EN: An “All Sky” view revealing the arm and center of Milky Way above the olive trees, that so well characterizes the Alentejo region as well as the quality of its olive oil | Sky Barrancos
PT: Um “All Sky” revelando o braço e centro da Via Láctea acima das oliveiras que tão bem caracterizam a região do Alentejo e a qualidade do seu Azeite daí proveniente | Céu de Barrancos
AllSky of VLT Yepun
In the background of this fish-eye fulldome picture, at the left side of Yepun VLT Telescope, we can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, while in center right of the image, the Zodiacal Light is coming up above the Milky Way that is lying behind the horizon.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Reddish Airglow Bands and Milky Way on ALMA
In the background, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome view, the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the upper left part of the image, is also visible a reddish airglow bands. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
AllSky view of the Milky Way Lying in the horizon of VLT
This fish-eye fulldome image shows the Milky Way lying parallel to the horizon in the background of the The Very Large Telescope (VLT) consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun (at right).
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Gegenschein in a Fulldome view of Cerro Paranal
In the foreground, we can see the white Meteorological Tower of Paranal. The small dome contains a telescope dedicated to monitoring the atmospheric seeing conditions, known as a Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM.) In the sky at the upper left side of the this fish-eye (fulldome) picture, we can see the Gegenschein, that is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the antisolar point. like the zodiacal light, the gegenschein is sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Most of this dust is orbiting the Sun in about the ecliptic plane. It is distinguished from zodiacal light by its high angle of reflection of the incident sunlight on the dust particles. In the upper right side, is also visible the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and above it, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Envolving the entire sky, we can see the presence of green airglow.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Reddish Airglow in a Fulldome view of Very Large Telescope
In this fish-eye fulldome picture, we can see a partial cloudy sky, that can promote sometimes the appearance of a beautiful show. Specially, if we have a night of Moonlight that can illuminate and show a strange game of ghostly shapes in the clouds. In the background a starry sky with a shy Milky Way is showing a strong presence of reddish airglow in the opposite direction of the Very Large Telescope.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stargazing in a Cloudy Sky – Fulldome View of VLT
In this fish-eye fulldome picture, we can see a girl stargazing in a partial cloudy sky, that can promote sometimes the appearance of a beautiful show. Specially, if we have a night of Moonlight that can illuminate and show a strange game of ghostly shapes in the clouds. In the background a starry shy sky is showing a strong presence of reddish airglow. In the foreground, we also can see three of four movable Auxiliary Telescopes availabe in the Very Large Telescope plataform.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Gegenschein, Milky Way and Airglow in a Fulldome Show
In the upper right side of the sky in this fish-eye (fulldome) picture, we can see the Gegenschein, that is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the antisolar point. like the zodiacal light, the gegenschein is sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Most of this dust is orbiting the Sun in about the ecliptic plane. It is distinguished from zodiacal light by its high angle of reflection of the incident sunlight on the dust particles. In the upper left side, is also visible the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and above it, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Surrounding the entire sky we can see the presence of green airglow, while, below, the Milky Way is setting in the horizon behind the VLT.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Zodiacal Light and Milky Way on ALMA
In the background, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome view, the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Yepun Telescope and Magellanic Clouds
In the background of this fish-eye fulldome picture, at the left side of Yepun VLT Telescope, we can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, while in center right of the image, the Zodiacal Light is coming up above the Milky Way that is lying behind the horizon.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Planet of Very Large Telescopes
After sunset a partial cloudy sky can promote the appearance of a beautiful show of colors, specially if we have a night of Moonlight that can illuminate and show a strange game of ghostly shapes in the clouds, combined with a starry sky as a background with the Milky Way. In the foreground, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome picture some of the Auxiliary Telescopes availabe in the VLT plataform and the Antu 8.2m diameter Large Telescope.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Desert Oasis on a Fulldome
A fish-eye view of the fulldome from the ESO’s Paranal Residencia. It provides a relaxing environment for astronomers and support staff that come to visit the telescopes at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. To the visitor who arrives at the Paranal Residencia from the harsh natural environment, the welcoming feeling under the dome is unexpected and instantly pleasant. This is a true “oasis” in a form of a small garden with a swimming pool. There is a strong sense of calm and serenity and, above all, a feeling of coming home. At night, the lighting below the roofing closure fabric is spectacular and the impression on the mind is overwhelming. The vertical structure at the centre is an umbrella that is deployed at sunset and during the night, protecting the observatories from all artificial light.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from inside the “Residencia” of Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile
Total Lunar Eclipse of 2015
As seen as Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), the total lunar eclipse of 28th september was very unusual because coincided to the moon perigee (supermoon). At left, Capturing the sequence of the totality in the Canary island of La Palma, this little planet shows also the approximate size of our Earth when compared to the Moon, that can be seen at the right side of the image, in a close-up view of the same moment, showing its dark red color. Because of its closeness to Earth, a supermoon passes deeper into the shadow of our planet.
The Precession of Earth – New Photo Technique showing a Vega Polar Startrail.
Featured as NASA´s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
Since the very first moment I read and learned about the Precession of Earth that I was fascinated with the possibility of having a different star than Polaris, pointing to north, although in that time, few years ago, I didn’t had the right technology and even the chance to could show in a real image how it would be…how would be the sky of my land if I had another star in the place of the well known, Polaris ?
After a long time of burning my mind with some new ideias, I figured out how I could do it, developing what I think is, a totally new astrophotographic technique never applied before, and where I can show in real time the sky rotating around another star, simulating the shifting of Earth Axis even being inside our Earth.
In astronomy, axial precession is a gravity-induced, slow, and continuous change in the orientation of an astronomical body’s rotational axis. In particular, it refers to the gradual shift in the orientation of Earth’s axis of rotation, which, similar to a wobbling top, traces out a pair of cones joined at their apices in a cycle of approximately 26,000 years.
A consequence of the precession is a changing pole star. Currently, Polaris is extremely well suited to mark the position, as Polaris is a moderately bright star located about 0,7º degrees from the pole. But with the crescent light pollution is Increasingly difficult to distinguish the few bright stars in the middle of cities, so near the year 14 000, the brilliant Vega in the constellation Lyra, is touted as the best north star. Although, it never comes closer than 5° to the celestial pole.
When Polaris becomes the north star again around 27,800, due to its proper motion it then will be farther away from the pole than it is now, while in 23,600 BC it came closer to the pole.
What I did to create the both startrails and time lapse images, was to use 2 mountings Vixen Polarie, one to pointing to the actual Polaris Axis and making all the stars staying fixed, but using another Polarie attached to the first one, I could simulate again the Earth Axis Rotation using the sideral motion inverted (I mean, like if I was in the south pole, near the batteries you can switch the button to (N) north or (S) south motion).
But I had special carefully with some things. I have waited until Vega star reach the same altitude I had in my observing latitude, in my case 38º, to have the same distance to the horizon that I have when looking to Polaris.
Very Important: The second condition to give the right movement, was to align carefully the star Vega near the center of the image (my new Earth Axis – now a Vixen Polarie Axis), to create the axis rotation simulating the 5º separation of the celestial north in +14000 (year). I also used the Live View magnifier with the grid option to have a more precise result.
*Important Note: Precession changes the direction of the Earth axis from Polaris to Vega on the celestial sphere, but the positions where the axis crosses the surface of Earth will not change by precession. So the north on the Earth from the observation point will not change, and the latitude of the observation point will not change too. Although, I choose the option that includes “apparently” almost the same landscape field view and where fits both Polaris (at left) and Vega (center), because if I had putting the Polaris in the same central framing position, as I did with Vega ( remembering that is the only possible way – as a condition – to simulating the Earth Axis rotation using the Vixen Polarie sideral motion, and show nowadays, the motion of the stars around Vega in a real Time Lapse movie sequence), I would loose the same landscape field of view with the Castle Tower, and this was also important to give people the notion that the image was really made in the same place. Vega is about 51º away from Polaris, so it means a big change in the field of view towards another position in the sky and consequently, in the landscape, in this case towards left, to Azimuth 0º – North, where stand the Polaris star.
As this technique induces movement, the landscape will move a bit from the first frame to the last one, but in the final startrail “still image”, I made a mask merging the landscape with the first frame again to have a more pleasant result.
All the images were taken from inside the Mourão Castle, in the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, the First Starlight Tourism Destination in the world, in Alentejo, Portugal.
Technical info:
Polaris Startrail starts in 19/04/2015 at 23h48 and Vega startrail starts in 20/04/2015 at 1:07
Canon EOS 6D – Canon EF 8-15 f/ 4L Fishseye USM at 8mm (All Sky). Exp. 30 sec. ISO 2500
A Starsphere in Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve
In this “starsphere” we can see the movement of celestial sphere around the northen star Polaris, as it seen from our Earth during a long exposure shot (the perception of this star trails is not visible in real time with our own eyes). The image also shows a dragged part of the winter Milky Way captured from the Rural Hotel Naveterra, in the Alqueva Dark Sky reserve.
Moon and Fireworks 2015 – All Sky 360º
In this 360º all sky view, captured in the midnight of the new year’s celebrations to give Welcome to 2015, we can see the Moon as a strong white tail. Below are the northern constellations, and the trail of a red Very Light which seems to describe the imaginary axis of this “photo sphere”, pointing to Polaris. Above the Moon, stands the celestial equator, with the stars of Orion. Following this “line”, we will find the bright path of planet Jupiter near the TV antenna. This shot was captured from the top of a building in Almada, so we can see around the horizon, the city lights from Lisbon, Almada and Seixal (Portugal), where we can see the smoke of fireworks and the Very Lights that were fired during the celebrations of the New Year!
Canon 6D – f/6.3 ISO 800 Exp. 10 Secs. 8mm Canon L circular fisheye. Taken in 31-12-2014 between 22:42 and 00:10 Sum of 474 images with a total time integration of 1h20.
