Over at Serge Brunier’s gallery website, there is a panoramic view of Earth’s night sky. This improbable 360-degree panoramic image embodies the cosmic landscape in which our small blue planet is immersed.
This landscape unfolds progressively, one season at a time, while our planet follows its course around the Sun. This image was created in the framework of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009), with crucial help from the European Southern Observatory (ESO). I love the clickable/zoomable VR window. Great amounts of detail… think of the untold worlds out there, orbiting any one of countless stars…
Oh WOW. That’s immense. Steve, in about three weeks, I’m heading out to the Australian “Outback” – a little town called Broken Hill – to see a site much like this photo. I’ll have with me a couple of ‘scopes. Countless worlds? I agree. Keppler has already got the low-down on just handful. Say, when I get to Washington, is there a planetarium or two that’s worth checking out?
Breathtaking! One of my life goals is to go to some sort of star camp one time to be able to view the sky unhindered by light pollution of any sort and really see the sky for the firs time. I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure. Have you seen this time lapse vid? I don’t get tired of watching it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z3cVQcfb-w
I always have my eyes on the skies. It’s a shame I choose to live in such urban areas! And also, in a country where you can’t even see the nigh sky during the summer – which has always been one of my fav things to do. I drive out to the country during the winters some times, but it’s just too darn cold!!!
That is truely amazing!
Paul – the Einstein Planetarium at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is a must-see (well, the whole Smithsonian is a must-see in my opinion, but your mileage may vary).
Irma – I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere, where light pollution and smog were non-existent. It’s not the same as the mountains of Sweden there, or Paul’s Australian Outback, but camping out under the stars was always one of my favorite things to do.