Published December 15, 2023 | Version v1
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Big Dipper Over the Mono Lake

Description

Honorable mention in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Time-lapses of rotation of Big Dipper or Southern Cross: Big Dipper Over the Mono Lake, by Fabrizio Melandri.

The Big Dipper asterism gracefully moves above the otherworldly tufa formations of Mono Lake, California, in this honourable mention in the category of Time-lapses of rotation of Big Dipper or Southern Cross. The time-lapse captures the Big Dipper’s movement across the northern horizon until its inferior conjunction. At Mono Lake’s latitude (+38°), the stars of the Big Dipper remain circumpolar, except for Alkaid. The North Star sits 38° above the horizon, just outside the field of view in the top right. The lunar illumination bathes the landscape in a soft glow, gradually fading as the Moon sets, cloaking the scene in darkness.

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

Files

Honorable mention in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Time-lapses of rotation of Big Dipper or Southern Cross: Big Dipper Over the Mono Lake, by Fabrizio Melandri.mp4