In the last months I have been taking timelapse photography of the night sky over the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT, Siding Spring Observatory, NSW, Australia). Here it is my first public result, which has the title of The sky over the Anglo-Australian Telescope.

This video, which lasts for 2.6 minutes and has a size of 192 Mb (MOV format), is the result of combining around 3800 different frames obtained using a CANON EOS 600D between June and September 2011. Except for those frames used for the sunset in the first timelapse, all frames have a 30 seconds exposure time, with a ISO speed of 1600. As the timelapses were created at 24 fps, each second in the movie corresponds to 12 minutes in real time. I used several lens to take the images (standard 50 mm, 50mm x 0.65 focal reducer and a 10 mm wide-angle lens). The focal chosen was 5.6 (for the 50 mm lens) or 4.5 (10 mm wide-angle lens).

Each frame was processed individually to enhance the astronomical information. More astronomical timelapses will come soon!

Link to the movie in HD resolution: The sky over the Anglo-Australian Telescope (HD resolution, MOV format, 192 Mb).

Suggestion: use the save as option of your internet browser and download the movie to your personal computer, playing it using the web browser would slow it a lot.

The sky over the Anglo-Australian Telescope is my first public timelapse. The credit of the music is Echoes from the past, by Dj Fab.
© Ángel R. López-Sánchez (AAO/MQ).

Lower resolutions:

Large (960 x 540) resolution, MOV format, 73 Mb (recommended for iPad or similar tablets)

Medium (640 x 360) resolution, MOV format, 31 Mb(recommended for iPhone or similar phones)

Some still frames from this timelapse

The Southern Cross and Centaurus over the Anglo-Australian Telescope on 6 June 2011. Click here to get the full resolution frame. © Á.R.L-S.

The Magellanic Clouds over the Anglo-Australian Telescope on 21 July 2011. Click here to get the full resolution frame. © Á.R.L-S.

The Milky Way is setting at Siding Spring Observatory on 21 Sep 2011. Click here to get the full resolution frame. © Á.R.L-S.

Circumpolar star traces (2.7 hours) over the Anglo-Australian Telescope on 20 Sep 2011. Click here to get the full resolution frame. © Á.R.L-S.