Photo credit: Shuchang Dong
It’s that time again, time to see the winners of the 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The overall winner was Shuchang Dong who captured a breathtaking photograph The Golden Ring, an annular solar eclipse in the Ali region of Tibet on June 21, 2020. Shuchang says that there is sunny weather year-round in the region, but in front of the annular eclipse, he saw dark clouds all over the sky. Read more for a video and to see five more winners.
After a summer of rumors, the GoPro HERO10 Black is now official, and the upgrades have mostly been internal, starting with the high-performance GP2 processor. This new chip delivers far improved image quality and quick video frame rates that enable it to capture ultra smooth 5.3K video at 60 frames per second, 4K video at 120 frames per second and 2.7K video at an a silky 240 frames per second. Read more for two videos, including a hands-on review.
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet likes to spend his free time aboard the International Space Station capturing photographs as well as stunning video footage, and the latest is of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. Although the exact location wasn’t provided, he did say that clouds competed for attention in this aurora time-lapse over a sparkling blue ocean. Read more for the video and additional information.
EarthCam has just released the longest running time-lapse project in the company’s history spanning 20 years. Company CEO and Founder, Brian Cury, installed a webcam just days after the attacks to broadcast the rescue mission to the families of the missing and eventually into the rebuilding process. EarthCam developed innovative new robotic DSLR camera technology necessary to document this in the highest resolution possible. Read more to see the short film “Never Forgotten” and for additional information.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a rare celestial phenomenon known as a Herbig-Haro object. This amazing object, named HH111, was imaged using the telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), and only develops under very specific circumstances. More specifically, they occur when newly formed stars expel very narrow jets of rapidly moving ionized gas, making the gas highly charged. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Thomas Pesquet
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet spends his free time aboard the International Space Station capturing breathtaking photographs, and his latest of the Aurora Australis is definitely no exception. This blue color of the southern lights is a rare phenomenon, partially due to the added additional illumination from the Moon. The Moon was particularely high and very bright, illuminating the clouds to create a very special atmosphere. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Roland Quandt
The all-new GoPro Hero 10 Black has leaked ahead of the official reveal, and this flagship action camera builds upon its predecessor. Featuring a GP2 processor and a 23-megapixel sensor capable of shooting 5.3K/60fps, 4K/120fps, and 2.7K/240fps footage. No other details have been revealed, but if pricing follows the Hero 9 Black at launch, expect it to cost around $449, and that’s without the cloud service or accessories. Read more for a picture of the back.
Photo credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, T. Treu | Acknowledgment: J. Schmidt
If you look closely at the center of this image, you’ll see six luminous spots of light, four of them forming a circle around a central pair. What you might not realize is that these are not six individual galaxies, but rather just three: two galaxies and one distant quasar. According to data gathered by Hubble, there is also a seventh spot of light in the exact middle, which is a rare fifth image of the distant quasar. The rare Einstein Ring phenomenon is caused by the presence of two galaxies in the foreground that act as a lens. Read more to see the larger image and for a video on Einstein Rings.
Artificial intelligence can be used for many things, including upscaling and colorizing old footage. However, you can’t upscale or colorize footage that hasn’t yet been digitized. Someone managed to unearth an unknown film titled “Heart of the City” that shows London during World War 2. The scenes you’re about to see have been motion-stabilized, slightly speed-corrected, enhanced and colorized using AI software. Read more to watch the 17-minute short film.
Photo credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured a breathtaking image of NGC 1385, a spiral galaxy that is located 68 million light-years from Earth, nestled in the constellation Fornax. This image was photographed with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3, which is also known as the telescope’s workhorse camera due to its reliability and versatility. Despite being installed back in 2009 when astronauts last visited Hubble, it’s still running strong 12-years later. Read more for a video on spiral galaxies and a bonus.