Star Trails at 19,000 Feet
Credit & Copyright:
Serge Brunier
In myth,
Atlas holds up the heavens, but in this stunning view
a mountain appears to serve as the southern night
sky pivots around a snowy peak.
Recorded during a climbing expedition at an altitude
above 19,000 feet (temperature -18 degrees C), the picture
places the
South Celestial Pole
over the
Andes mountain
Ojos del Salado.
Topping out at over 22,000 feet, the Ojos del Salado is a
stratovolcano,
the highest active volcano
on planet Earth.
The time exposure lasted for an hour, recording the graceful
arcing star trails along with the
rising Milky Way (left) and
setting Magellanic clouds.