Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
The first batch of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites was launched in May this year, making astronomers worried about how they would affect the night sky. Now that the second batch has been launched, the astronomers’ concerns are becoming a reality.
On Monday 18 November, two astronomers checked the image of their remotely operated telescope in Chile. But instead of a clear night sky, they saw a bunch of light trails from Starlink satellites.
On Tuesday, 6 August, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. After the successful launch, Elon Musk tweeted a video that got even more social media attention than the launch itself. The video shows a SpaceX ship catching the rocket’s fairing as it falls from space, and it’s a perfect catch!
On 23 May, the first 60 SpaceX’s Starlink satellites were successfully launched into orbit. They were caught on camera and they look spectacular while orbiting around the Earth together. However, the ultimate plan is to launch nearly 12,000 of these satellites. Have you wondered how it will affect the night skies? Astronomers are concerned that they will pollute the night sky, and astrophotography is only one of the areas that could be hindered by this many satellites in the orbit.
On 23 May, SpaceX successfully launched its first 60 Starlink satellites into orbit. Amateur astronomer Marco Langbroek managed to catch them on camera, and he filmed a spectacular view of the “train” of satellites orbiting around the Earth.
Last December, we featured a timelapse from photographer and filmmaker Jesse Watson. The timelapse was of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch near Yuma, Arizona. Well, a couple of nights ago, another one launched and landed from California – the first time Elon’s launched and landed in California. Jesse went out to capture it again and this one’s just as incredible as the last.
Did you dream of flying to the moon when you were a kid? I know I did. It seemed impossible back then, but in a few years’ time, the first civilian will travel to the moon – and he has decided to bring a photographer along.
Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa will be SpaceX’s first space tourist who will fly to the moon in 2023, and he will soon announce the artistic crew who will follow him on this journey. Among other artists, he also plans to bring a photographer to capture this incredible journey.
Whatever your spin is on the SpaceX launch of the Falcon Heavy and the stunt of Starman and the Roadster, it put on our radar topics such as space and space missions, rockets, interplanetary travel or technological advances.
In my case, once footage of the car and Starman started to arrive and people wondered if it could be observed from Earth, there was just one thing in my mind: to find the answer to that question and if yes, to try take a picture – better yet, a video – of it.
The launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy has caused plenty of reactions all over the world. The epic launch has made many of us stand in awe and the photos gave us goosebumps. But, just like all major events, this one has also made many people inspired for creating memes and parodies. My Facebook feed has been flooded with hilarious photo manipulations today, and they’re mainly Slavic (which in my opinion makes them even funnier). I’ve decided to share a couple of them with you, and I hope to bring a smile to your face.
On Tuesday, “Starman” in a red Tesla Roadster was sent to outer space. SpaceX has shared some of the photos and videos of the historic Falcon Heavy launch, and yesterday, Elon Musk has shared Starman’s last image.
Photographer Jesse Watson has been following the SpaceX launches for quite some time. Fascinated by the footage he has seen, he wanted to make a video of his own, different from what he’s seen in the news. So, before the final SpaceX launch this year, he took his gear and created a timelapse that could easily fit in a science-fiction movie.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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