Nightscape Adventures in Coona and Narrabri - a timelapse
In September 2013, my friend Andrew and I went on a Nightscape Adventure weekend to Coonabarabran and Narrabri. This timelapse is the culmination of the weekends efforts, in what was an incredibly memorable weekend at some amazing landscapes under some beautiful North Western NSW skies.
Vixen Polarie used for panning in some of the sequences.
Music: Long Way by DJ Rostej
We spent one night at Coonabarabran, at the Anglo-Australian Observatory, capturing nightscapes overlooking the amazing jurassic-style landscape, still recovering from the fires the previous year. High wind and incoming cloud caused an earlier ending to our plans there.
The next day we headed to Narrabri, to the ATCA (Australian Telescope Compact Array). The weather was absolutely perfect - clear skies all night, no dew, and once the Moon set at 2am some amazing dark skies. The radio dishes were a perfect foreground for timelapses and nightscapes.
Ideally we would've liked to have gone on a new moon weekend, but we just couldn't get away - so we had a bright Moon overhead until about 2am each night.
This is probably my best timelapse so far - it's still not perfect, a few things I would've liked to improve - but I'm still learning and getting better with each one.
Rod yeh that's my favourite sequence of the lot too. LRTimelapse and Lightroom is just a magic combo.
It's a hell of a lot of frames - I can't remember exactly now, more frames captured for the daytime and moonlit stuff, and 30s exposures once the moon had set. All played back at 30fps.
I had most of the sequences rendered out for ages, and then let them slip because Vegas was giving me terrible compression when I tried to produce a movie from the sequences. Movie Maker just handled them seamlessly with no compression and it's just so easy to use.
I was also worried about the length originally and was going to try and cut back the sequences, but in the end I didn't want to cull anything and ended up making it longer by putting in the 'live' movie sequences too. It's long by timelapse standards, but hopefully not too long and enough changing scenes to keep it interesting.
The shots on Siding Spring Observatory bring back memories.
Long before the SSS telescope was installed (which is located behind the Warrumbungle nightscape that Mike shot), there used to be the 16" telescope associated building on that hill -- which also contained an electronic workshop etc. where my Dad worked in the 1980s. The good old 16" was actually the first dome on the site, before even the 40", installed as the test-bed instrument for the site by Bart Bok. It was long decommissioned for professional use by the time I lived on the mountain, so I got to use it for my amateur jaunts (and the nearby 24" (http://bollerandchivens.com/?p=1943), also not much used by the late 1980s). Fun days.
Nice work Mike. I can imagine those nights would have been a lot of fun. Taken you a few months to process but faster than my average . I don't know how you fit in your CrossFit, family, work and still keep churning out images!
Brilliant sequence, just love the Milky Way setting over the dish.
Well done.
Thanks Ingrid, I'm glad you enjoyed it
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
A remarkable time lapse Mike. Very clear and lifelike plus some day/night transitions quite well done.
The little snippets of animals make for a good break as well.
Greg.
Thanks Greg. The LRTimelapse/Lightroom combo is so good. I liked adding the live sequences, broke it up a bit. I'll probably do it more often.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amaranthus
The shots on Siding Spring Observatory bring back memories.
Long before the SSS telescope was installed (which is located behind the Warrumbungle nightscape that Mike shot), there used to be the 16" telescope associated building on that hill -- which also contained an electronic workshop etc. where my Dad worked in the 1980s. The good old 16" was actually the first dome on the site, before even the 40", installed as the test-bed instrument for the site by Bart Bok. It was long decommissioned for professional use by the time I lived on the mountain, so I got to use it for my amateur jaunts (and the nearby 24" (http://bollerandchivens.com/?p=1943), also not much used by the late 1980s). Fun days.
Great story, thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SkyViking
Absolutely wonderful Mike, some very nice sequences and transitions!
Thanks Rolf, appreciate the feedback.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retrograde
Wow - very, very nice Mike!
This is what I aspire to be able to create one day.
Many thanks Pete!
Quote:
Originally Posted by philiphart
Nice work Mike. I can imagine those nights would have been a lot of fun. Taken you a few months to process but faster than my average . I don't know how you fit in your CrossFit, family, work and still keep churning out images!
Phil
Thanks Phil. Time on the train helps
I had the sequences rendered quite a while ago but was worried it was too long (~4 minutes) so left it with the view to culling some.
But in the end, I added more (the live sequences) and made it longer, and I'm glad I did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by multiweb
Good stuff. Particularly liked the opening sequence with the sunset transition. Very nicely done.
Thanks Marc - that sunset was just magic over the Jurassic style landscape.
It's long by timelapse standards, but hopefully not too long and enough changing scenes to keep it interesting.
. I don't know how you fit in your CrossFit, family, work and still keep churning out images!
