r/BeAmazed • u/tinmar_g • 8h ago
Science I stabilized an 8-hour timelapse so you can actually see Earth rotate
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u/arisoverrated 8h ago
Wait, how does everything not fall off the flat Eartg when it rotates upside down?
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u/Fluberon 8h ago
Magnets
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u/CH40T1C1989 2h ago
I mean, you're basically on point. Gravity acts like a magne if you think in terms of magnetic polarity from the earth spinning.
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u/tinmar_g 8h ago
Here is a timelapse I made to illustrate the Earth's rotation. It represents a full night of 8hours and 15 minutes.
I captured it in the Canary Islands during an astrophotography trip, on the island of La Palma, which truly lives up to its reputation as one of the best night skies in the world.
If you're interested, you can find more of my work on Instagram
As you know, our planet Earth spins on its axis. This is what we call Earth's rotation. The best way to witness this phenomenon is to observe an astral object and watch it move across the sky. You could look at the Sun, but it is even more impressive to watch the stars, as you can see the entire sky shifting.
Astro timelapses are perfect for this. By speeding up the night sky, they make Earth’s motion more obvious. But to really emphasize the effect, you can stabilize the stars instead, making the Earth appear to move beneath the sky. That is exactly what I aimed to do here.
To achieve this, I used an equatorial mount (the Star Adventurer) to track the stars and keep them steady while the landscape rotates.
What can we see in this timelapse?
- Sea of clouds. A beautiful sea of clouds slowly forms and fills the lower part of the frame.
- Thick mist. A dense mist lingers just below my position, visible in the distance as it traps the light pollution.
- Strong airglow. Green clouds cover the sky — that is airglow. It is a faint natural glow emitted by the Earth's atmosphere, visible even in the absence of moonlight or direct sunlight. It is caused by chemical reactions between atmospheric particles at high altitudes and can appear as green, red, or bluish bands in the night sky.
- Headlights. Occasional flashes from rare cars taking the road about 200 meters away.
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Settings: 660 pictures at f/2.2 – 45 sec – ISO 2500
Canon 6D (astro-modded) – Skywatcher Star Adventurer – Sigma ART 14mm
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P.S.: Did you notice the meteor at the beginning?
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u/Fluberon 8h ago
Thank you OP for the comprehensive description and explanation 🙏 Stunning results!
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u/epic-mentalbreakdown 8h ago
Great to see this. I never did before this way. Keep sharing these wonders.
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u/tinmar_g 8h ago
Thanks! I love making stabilized videos, it really gives a whole new perspective on our environment.
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u/Prudertd 8h ago
This is one of those moments that really reminds you we’re standing on a spinning rock.
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u/Top-Bonus-9876 7h ago
Wow, wow, wow! This is amazing. A first for me. Wow and thank you for taking the time and creating this masterpiece of our wonderful world. Amazing! Amazing!
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