Today's Image

Check it out! Full-sphere astrophotos

Observing Session in Wind Farm Spherical Image Observing Session by project nightflight

Project Nightflight – an astrophotography group based in Vienna, Austria – has done some cool projects, but this might be the coolest yet. The Project Nightflight team wrote:

Recently, a new camera hit the market that will set off a small revolution in astronomy and astrophotography. The Ricoh Theta S is an innovative panorama camera that records a 360-degree full-sphere panorama with only one single shot. We tested the Theta S for astronomical usage and it turned out quite well.

Whether you want to shoot fun pictures at a star party, record an observing event or capture extended celestial scenes, the Ricoh Theta S is a great gadget. Being no more expensive than a middle-class point-and-shoot camera, it will be a wonderful tool to capture twilight phenomena, auroras, noctilucent clouds, total solar eclipses, solar and lunar halos, constellations, planetary conjunctions, fireballs and the brighter parts of the Milky Way.

We captured the image attached at a wind farm near Vienna.

View more interactive 360-degree scene for yourself at www.project-nightflight.net/tests.

What’s more, the full-sphere camera can be used to survey observing sites very efficiently. We used it to make a light pollution survey at the endpoint of the Grossmugl Star Walk installation in Austria. This and other night sky panoramas can be seen on our website, too.

On our website we also provide a more comprehensive article on how to use the Theta S for night sky photography. It is available as a PDF file for free download, the direct link is: www.project-nightflight.net/ricoh_theta_s_in_astronomy_and_astrophotography.pdf

Thanks so much, Project Nightflight!

Posted 
April 5, 2016
 in 
Today's Image

Like what you read?
Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.

Your email address will only be used for EarthSky content. Privacy Policy
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

More from 

Deborah Byrd

View All