video

Exploring a Comet, Very Close Up

September 9, 2019 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

The Comet from Christian Stangl on Vimeo.

The Rosetta spacecraft made its final maneuver around the Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67p) in 2016 and made a controlled hard landing. Rosetta had accompanied the comet for more than 2 years, measured valuable scientific data, brought a lander on to the comet’s surface and took vast numbers of pictures.

In 2017 the European Space Agency released over 400,000 images from the Rosetta mission. Based on these images, motion designer Christian Stangl and composer Wolfgang Stangl worked together to create this short (but quite astonishing) film.
The sequences are digitally enhanced real-footage from the probe.

Watch the beauty of an active alien body, far out in the dephts of our solar system.

Share This:

Simulating a Supernova in an Aquarium

August 29, 2018 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Science

NOVAE – An aesthetic vision of a supernova from Thomas Vanz on Vimeo.

Astronomers have a reasonably good handle on what happens during a supernova, an immense stellar detonation that occurs when a massive star that’s run out of fuel collapses and explodes with the brightness of 10 billion suns . These events are relatively rare, with just one or two each year, on average, in a galaxy the size of our Milky Way. While the math and physics of a supernova explosion are reasonably well understood, it’s up to visual artists and computer-generated imagery (CGI) experts to help us visualize a supernova explosion in all its glorious violence and complexity [Read more…] about Simulating a Supernova in an Aquarium

Share This:

Moon Viewing on the Streets of L.A.

April 13, 2018 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video

A New View of the Moon from Alex Gorosh on Vimeo.

Here’s a short video to brighten your day. The writer and film maker Wylie Overstreet took his big 12″ Newtonian telescope into the streets of Los Angeles to show the Moon to passersby. The result? Well, see for yourself. But it’s nice to know that so many overstimulated city dwellers can still enjoy nature at its finest.

You can see a thousand pictures of the Moon, but it’s never the same experience as seeing it for yourself, especially through a good telescope. Even if you don’t know the name of a single crater or sea, the Moon’s stark beauty, the etched features and long shadows and large range of gray scale and brightness, make it one of the most appealing and accessible sights in the sky. And as more experienced stargazers know, you can get the same experience when seeing much fainter objects. With a little practice, of course.

This fine little production is a great reminder that we should look up more often. And when possible, share what you see with those around you.

Share This:

Video – Star Chasers, Episode 1

November 14, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video

This is the first in a series of short documentary videos about amateur astronomers, star parties, and the lure of the night sky. It was created by Jon Baker at Stab You Productions and supported by the folks at Explore Scientific. Been a while since you’ve brought your telescope out? Then play this video for a little inspiration…

Share This:

Mini-Documentary Shows Incredible View of the Night Sky

September 17, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video

Infinity ² from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

Here’s an incredible video that’s as close as it comes to the actual feeling of being under a clear dark sky. Created by Ben Canales and John Waller of Uncage the Soul Productions, this short work features 20 high-school students at a summer astronomy camp in Oregon. The producers simply ask, “What do you feel?” The film also visits the Oregon Star Party where 600 astronomers camp out with their scopes.

This isn’t a timelapse. It’s a video of the night sky in real time. It shows what’s possible with current camera technology, in this case a Canon MH20f-SH set at ISO400,000, along with a fast 20 mm Sigma Art lens.

In this video, along with wide-field views of the late-summer sky, you can see stars reflected in the primary mirror of a big Dob as it turns, a live view of the star Capella through an eyepiece, and a view of the Perseid meteor shower. Just amazing.

Share This: