Milky Way Rise Timelapse in front of an Old Ruin in Flinders Ranges, Australia

Here is a timelapse of the Milky Way descending below the horizon 🌌.

I shot this near a tranquil lake in Litchfield National Park, NT, Australia. The serenity of the night sky always brings me a sense of calm. It's mesmerizing to watch the core of the Milky Way dip beneath the horizon, while the bright stars cast their reflections on the water as the night unfolds.

In the Australian outback, right after sunset, the Milky Way began its ascent, rising imperceptibly from the horizon. As the Milky Way painted a luminous river overhead, a timid flame began to nibble at the dry bush around it, and before long, a bushfire was born. The fire was a pulsating, dynamic entity, its shimmering light creating a stark, fascinating contrast with the serene march of the stars.

As the bushfire spread, it lent the scene an unlikely beauty, painting the underbelly of the Milky Way with a warm, flickering glow. The rhythmic twinkling of the stars above mirrored the erratic flickering of the flames below, creating a dance of light and shadow.

In a time before modern civilization, for thousands of years, our ancestors must have spent most of their nights viewing something just like this. Over a glowing amber, on a moonless night, they look at the stars. What stories were they telling then? Were there heroes, cowards, love and hatred like in our TV shows? I wonder.

This timelapse captured the core of the Milky Way setting beneath the western horizon. It was taken during the peak of the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower. Plenty of shooting stars streaked across the sky.

A Star Trails Timelapse during the Perseid Meteor Shower

Just like a painter uses a brush to create beautiful art, photographers use the passage of time and the rotation of our Earth to paint the night sky with the light of countless stars. By leaving the camera's shutter open for an extended period, the stars' motion turns into majestic arcs of light that streak across the night sky.

Look at those graceful, circular paths! They are so beautiful!

I've spent countless nights under the night sky, and this time, I captured a timelapse of a spectacular yet somewhat unsung phenomenon of the night sky - the 'Airglow'.

The video shows our home galaxy's majestic arc across the heavens, set beneath the horizon. Near the end of the video, you'll see a ghostly green band above the horizon, glowing like auroras. This phenomenon is known as airglow, a spectacle that often goes unnoticed. It's a magical, mesmerizing display created by atmospheric molecules re-emitting the energy they absorbed from the Sun.

While it might not be as famously known as its flashy cousin, the Aurora, Airglow is no less awe-inspiring. On certain nights, especially when you're away from city lights, you might see this luminous nightglow creating a celestial canvas painted with ethereal hues.

Date: 24 June 2023

Location: Zebra Stone, Litchfield, Northern Territory, Australia