Time Lapse Video from Mudgee NSW, April 2013

[MLParkinson]

Here is a time lapse movie of the night sky I made from images recorded during a week-long trip to Mudgee Observatory last April. The movie includes some sequences I recorded when crossing the Blue Mountains on the way to Mudgee. Mudgee Observatory is located on a stunning rural property owned by the Vetter family.

http://youtu.be/cD2pN2vB3TY

I recommend you select the maximum HD resolution playback mode; even then the YouTube compression algorithm degrades the video well beneath the original upload resolution.

Sorry, this is a long video (8 minutes) for dark sky enthusiasts only. Please don’t watch it if you don’t subscribe to a generous broadband plan.

Thanks for viewing, Murray

[MLParkinson]

For the sake of completeness, here is the link to still images built from raw data recorded during the awesome Mudgee Star Party. The Mudgee Star Party was exceptional both in terms of the observing facility and consistent clear nights. The week was astronomically intensive and very productive. I was in dark sky nirvana.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlparkinson/sets/72157633678379294/

The stills are nice, but I personally think the nightscape time lapse video (below) is far more impressive.

[Retrograde]

Very nice - what focal-length lens did you use for the timelapse?

[MLParkinson]

I used the Canon EF 14 mm f/2.8 II USM Lens. I run it at full aperture to let in as much light as possible for time lapse sequences. For stills, I stop it down to f/5.6.