New Delhi. Indian Astronomer Dorje Angchuk has created an amazing time-lapse video showing the Earth rotating in the serene and celestial landscape of Ladakh. This video is taken from the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, which presents a very special and unique picture of the Earth’s motion. In this video, the galaxy appears stationary, while the Earth continues to rotate. Mr. Angchuk’s goal is to capture a 24-hour non-stop time-lapse video, showing the changes from day to night and night to day. He has titled this video “A Day in Motion – Capturing the Earth’s Rotation”. His aim was to make students understand the Earth’s rotation from a new perspective.
Challenges despite organized effort
The project faced many challenges. Initially, his goal was to frame the Orion constellation, but the difficult celestial conditions of Ladakh made it difficult for him to capture it correctly. Moreover, the freezing cold of Ladakh also affected his equipment, causing the camera battery to drain quickly and increasing the strain on the gear.
From Failures to Success
Despite various setbacks over the four nights, Mr. Angchuk did not give up. He faced storage issues, battery failures and timer malfunctions, but these problems taught him several valuable lessons. He used a tracker and mobile controls to improve his setup, which enabled him to capture the Earth’s rotation smoothly.
Post-processing and Final Results
After capturing the footage, Mr. Angchuk faced several challenges during post-processing as well. He cropped out inconsistencies in framing to produce a final, polished video. The project was primarily started with the aim of helping students understand the Earth’s rotation. “This time-lapse video will prove to be a great tool for students to understand the Earth’s rotation,” said Mr. Angchuk.
