The Culmination of Canopus

Honourable mention in the 2022 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Time lapses of celestial patterns.

This time-lapse video was shot in January 2018 from the Joshua Tree National Park, USA, and follows the path of Canopus, the second-brightest star in the night sky, as it moves from left to right, almost touching the horizon. The landscape is illuminated by the Moon. 

Canopus is associated with the rudder of the ancient Argo constellation, the Ship, nowadays split into the three modern constellations Vela, Puppis and Carina, the last of which contains Canopus.

Owing to its brightness, Canopus has caught the attention of several cultures around the world throughout history. For instance, the Navajo people of North America named the star as the Coyote, and say that the coyote took part in the creation of the Universe. The Kalapalo people of Brazil associated Canopus with a duck, with other bright stars making up the body parts of the animal. The appearance of Canopus in the sky indicates the coming of the rainy season.

Credit: Fabrizio Melandri/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)