Awesome NASA timelapse of the sun

ahalpert

Major Contributor
https://youtu.be/l3QQQu7QLoM

The greatest key-light in our arsenal that we all share, for free and simultaneously.

Isn't it beautiful to see it with such detail and in motion?

Although I really only need a few minutes of this. It's an hour long, and each second is a day.
 
Saw that a few days ago on one of the other sites. Watched some of it on my 120" screen via the built-in YouTube app. Then went down the rabbit hole... Watched the Space X launch from a few weeks ago, since I didn't get to see it, then. It was like a low-budget, bad sci-fi movie(despite it's historical importance of returning the US to space from rockets launched on American soil). Then I watched the original Columbia launch, STS-1. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and we've gone for main engine start and we have main engine start..." -while watching them roar to life like a couple of fire breathing dragons- "and we have lift off, lift off of America's first Space Shuttle." -as it climbs straight off the launch pad out of a wall of steam and smoke and fire- "And the Shuttle has cleared the tower..." Gave me F'n chills. And every Shuttle launch I've ever seen did, and still does.
 
Very cool, though I prefer Tungsten, and a larger source... :happy:
(it's 50,000K- 2 millionK!).

@Run&Gun- I feel so fortunate to have shot the 5 Shuttle launches I did.
The second launch, the first night launch, the first post-Challenger launch (from the just-opened Challenger Elementary. Very intense).
Three from the NASA press site, 2 off. 4 for work, one personal (the next to last). Each incredibly special.
The roar that is more of a crackle and takes sooo long to get to you, and the moment the Shuttle turns and rolls. Just magnificent!
Now I need to see and shoot a Space X launch...

https://youtu.be/l3QQQu7QLoM
It's an hour long, and each second is a day.
And the whole thing is 10 years- is that an incredible time lapse or what?
 
Last edited:
Very cool, though I prefer Tungsten, and a larger source... :happy:
(it's 50,000K- 2 millionK!).

@Run&Gun- I feel so fortunate to have shot the 5 Shuttle launches I did.
The second launch, the first night launch, the first post-Challenger launch (from the just-opened Challenger Elementary. Very intense).
Three from the NASA press site, 2 off. 4 for work, one personal (the next to last). Each incredibly special.
The roar that is more of a crackle and takes sooo long to get to you, and the moment the Shuttle turns and rolls. Just magnificent!
Now I need to see and shoot a Space X launch...


And the whole thing is 10 years- is that an incredible time lapse or what?

Five launches. That's pretty damn cool. And I imagine that first night launch was just incredible to see in-person.

I remember all through elementary school, in the 80's, we'd watch the Shuttle launches in school. Sometimes in the library in a group of classes, sometimes in our individual classrooms, if TV's were available for teachers to "check-out" from the library(way before the days of each individual classroom having its own TV). I even remember once or twice my Dad bringing a TV for my class to borrow so we could watch. My family owned an appliance/tv/electronics/lawn mower/hardware store.

The closest I ever got to seeing a live Shuttle launch was in 2003 when I was in Daytona for NASCAR pre-season testing. It was a crystal clear January day and several of us climbed to the top level of the old photo tower on pit lane on the front stretch of the track. From there you looked back towards the backstretch to see it coming up from the Cape. It still amazes me thinking about it, watching it from even that far away and just how bright it was. And sadly, that was Columbia's last flight, breaking apart and essentially exploding on re-entry a few weeks later, due to the damage to some of the protective heat resistant tiles suffered during that launch.

Somewhat ironically, Columbia also suffered damage to some of its tiles during STS-1. Fortunately then, they weren't in as critical of areas(behind the payload doors on the upper portion of the Shuttle). I can only imagine what would have happened to our space program had what happened during Columbia's last mission, happened during the first, instead.

I also remember sitting in the lunch room in third grade and the principal came over the intercom and made an announcement to the school that Challenger had exploded.

Listening to the countdown and post launch commands, just pull you that much more into it.
 
Oh Chuck, to be at the launch. That is special. I'm envious. That's a bucket list moment. I hope to go see a launch at Vandenberg sometime. But I'm sure it's not the same.

The world stopped when the astronauts went to the moon. We sat in class with the PA system piping the radiocast into each room. There wasn't a better lesson to be learned that day, so we all just sat in silence and listened.
 
It's amazing, and sad, how quickly space becomes pedestrian (even the spacewalks, haha).

Apollo- six moon landings, and I think it became old news after about 3.
Peopl tuned out the Shuttle after maybe what, 5 launches? The Challenger disaster was the 25th launch, and few watched it live.
International Space Station, what a gig! But who pays much attention?

I guess we space geeks do, and I'd give anything to travel to Space.

Five launches. That's pretty damn cool. And I imagine that first night launch was just incredible to see in-person.

I also remember sitting in the lunch room in third grade and the principal came over the intercom and made an announcement to the school that Challenger had exploded.

Shot the night launch from across the Indian River, which lit up like day- faces, too.
Just incredible, and I can still see it in my mind's eye.

Damn, I'm old. And my birthday's Monday. *sigh* Time for some serious nostalgia...
Well, hey, space is older! Anytime you feel old, just think about space for some perspective, haha!
 
It's amazing, and sad, how quickly space becomes pedestrian (even the spacewalks, haha).

Apollo- six moon landings, and I think it became old news after about 3.
Peopl tuned out the Shuttle after maybe what, 5 launches? The Challenger disaster was the 25th launch, and few watched it live.
International Space Station, what a gig! But who pays much attention?

I guess we space geeks do, and I'd give anything to travel to Space.



Shot the night launch from across the Indian River, which lit up like day- faces, too.
Just incredible, and I can still see it in my mind's eye.

Damn, I'm old. And my birthday's Monday. *sigh* Time for some serious nostalgia...
Well, hey, space is older! Anytime you feel old, just think about space for some perspective, haha!

I believe you are right about the time until the general population became blasé about space launches and even Moon landings. It was addressed in one of the docs I watched. Remember the Simpson’s episode where Homer becomes an astronaut? Because... America became board and TV ratings were down for launches(one of the gags being the data being analyzed in mission control was the TV ratings), so NASA embarked on a mission to put a ‘regular Joe’ in space to rekindle interest.

Both technically true and philosophical, but we’re all hurtling through space on the most comfortable and advanced space craft imaginable that keeps us safe and alive with no intervention from us and despite our best efforts to destroy it.
 
It's amazing, and sad, how quickly space becomes pedestrian (even the spacewalks, haha).

Apollo- six moon landings, and I think it became old news after about 3.
Peopl tuned out the Shuttle after maybe what, 5 launches? The Challenger disaster was the 25th launch, and few watched it live.
International Space Station, what a gig! But who pays much attention?

I guess we space geeks do, and I'd give anything to travel to Space.



Shot the night launch from across the Indian River, which lit up like day- faces, too.
Just incredible, and I can still see it in my mind's eye.

Damn, I'm old. And my birthday's Monday. *sigh* Time for some serious nostalgia...
Well, hey, space is older! Anytime you feel old, just think about space for some perspective, haha!

Happy birthday, groveChuck! May you witness many more shuttle launches, and perhaps even shoot a few.

Elon Musk is doing his best to get us all off this rock. He said he himself might die on Mars ("but hopefully not on impact"). He said it was unlikely but that "there's a non-zero chance that it could happen."

But as much as the beauty and distance of space and the stars fires up my imagination, there ain't no place like home. Like Ernie said, "I'd like to visit the moon but I dont think I'd like to live there"
 
This is sort of related - it's a cool zoom-in to the night sky showing just how far you have to zoom in to see the black hole that was "photographed" recently. It's pretty nuts. Has anyone seen that Power of 10 film? Reminds me of that

https://youtu.be/9DILtg_9dcU
 
Back
Top