Star Trail in the Southern Hemisphere with Bortle 4 Scale Light Pollution

Photographer: Slamat Riyadi
Country: Indonesia

This breathtaking photo, captured under the clear night sky of Linggamekar Village, Cilimus, Kuningan, West Java, Indonesia on 25 June 2020, displays star trails sweeping across the southern hemisphere’s heavens. It is one of six winners in the category of Still images taken exclusively with smartphones/mobile devices. The star trails are due to Earth’s rotation causing the apparent motion of stars, creating these mesmerising arcs of light when followed over extended periods. Here, the point the stars rotate around (the South Celestial Pole) is close to the horizon, as the image was taken close to the equator. The photographer used the star trail feature on a smartphone, which captured a series of images over an extended period and stacked them together. The striking tree in the foreground adds depth to the image, contrasting the celestial motion above with its Earthly stillness, while also masking some of the surrounding light pollution. Different parts of the world offer diverse and stunning perspectives on the night sky, emphasising the importance of preserving dark skies everywhere.

Also see image in Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10356977

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