Explanation:
This six month long exposure compresses the
time
from solstice to solstice
(~ December 21, 2008 to June 20, 2009) into a single
point of view.
Dubbed a solargraph, the
unconventional
picture was recorded with a pinhole camera
made from an aluminum can lined
with a piece of photographic paper.
Fixed to a
single spot
for the entire exposure, the simple camera continuously
records the Sun's daily path as a glowing trail
burned into the photosensitive paper.
Breaks and gaps in the trails are caused by cloud cover.
In this case, the spot was chosen to look out
from inside a
radio telescope
at the
Ondrejov Observatory
in the Czech Republic.
At the end of the exposure, the paper was removed from the
can and immediately scanned digitally.
Contrasts and colors were then enhanced and added to the
digital image.
Of course, in December, the Sun trails
begin lower down
at the northern hemisphere's winter solstice.
The trails climb higher in the sky as the
June 21st summer solstice approaches.
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