This 100 minute star trail picture shows some of the highlights of the southern sky (Large Magellanic cloud (LMC), Southern Cross, etc.) together with a water tank on the Ezeljaght Farm near Sutherland (South Africa). Note the meteor trail to the right of the center.

This night was exceptionally windy, and the water tank in the foreground was rapidly filled by a nearby wind-powered pump. When the water level had reached the top, the strong wind sent a sprinkle over to my telescope, which left me puzzled for a brief moment. Who would have expexted rain under perfectly clear skies? Fortunately I managed to open a bypass valve before the "artificial rain" did any damage to my equipment.

Lens	:	Minolta 2.8/28 mm lens, stopped down to f/8
Camera	:	Minolta XD-7
Mount	:	Super Polaris DX (drive not running)
Film	:	Fujichrome Provia 400F
Date	:	23 Mar. 2004
Exposure time	:	17:56 - 19:40 UTC
Site	:	Ezeljaght Farm near Sutherland (South Africa).

  Back to image gallery