Gemini South Star Trails
影像版權與提供: Elke Schulz
Explanation:
Stars seem to arc through southern skies in this surrealistic time exposure -- recorded before moonrise from the Gemini South Observatory, Cerro Pachon, Chile, Planet Earth. During the one hour 40 minute exposure camera and tripod were fixed, so the concentric star trails are a reflection of Earth's daily rotation about its axis. The view looks to the south and includes the Gemini telescope enclosure in the foreground. At the apparent center of the curving trails, the South Celestial Pole lies just off the upper left edge. Two faint, wide streaks track the Magellanic Clouds, satellites of the Milky Way Galaxy, while a meteor flashes throught the scene just left of the observatory.
說明:
這張月出前在南 雙子天文台 (位在地球．智利的Cerro Pachon)拍攝超現實的長時曝光像，南天的星星像是以弧狀的軌跡掃過星空。在長達1小時40分鐘的曝光期間，相機和腳架固定不動，所以同心圓狀的星流跡反應出地球是繞著地軸自轉。這幅往南看的影像，是以雙子望遠鏡的建物為前景。南天極在弧狀星流跡的中心，它剛好在影像的左上角外面一點點的位置。二片暗淡寬廣的流跡則來自大小麥哲倫星系，它們是我們銀河的衛星星系，而在天文台的左側附近，可見到一道流星痕。地平面附近的燈光，則是來自濱海城市La Serena和Coquimbo。
資料來源: Scientific American
Department of Physics, NCKU
