Andrew McCarthy

Posts tagged
with Andrew McCarthy

Photography Science

Explore the Extraordinary Eons-Old Details of the Moon’s Surface in an Astounding 1.3-Gigapixel Composite

All images © Andrew McCarthy, shared with permission

For his latest celestial undertaking, Arizona-based astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy turned his lens toward the moon, documenting the Earth’s satellite in astounding detail. As he’s wont to do, McCarthy stitched together a staggering number of images to create a composite so large that it reveals the craggy, pocked surface in extraordinary detail.

“GigaMoon” is, as its name suggests, a 1.3-gigapixel image comprised of 280,000 individual photos captured on two telescopes, one for detail and one for color. Taken on the unusually clear night of April 29 during its waxing gibbous phase, the work reveals a surface rich with history. “Zoom in and see the irregular shapes of sinuous lava tubes, the catastrophic scars from impact craters, monstrous canyons, and towering mountains,” McCarthy says, alluding to the interactive version that allows viewers to magnify different areas. The photographer’s largest image to date, “GigaMoon” offers a rare glimpse into the nighttime orb and the current state of its form after eons in existence.

There are currently a few prints of the work available in his shop, and PetaPixel has all the details on McCarthy’s equipment and process. You can follow his adventures in astronomy on Instagram.

Photography Science

An Astounding Composite of 90,000 Images Unveils the Sun’s Hidden Atmosphere

All images © Andrew McCarthy and Jason Guenzel, shared with permission

Astrophotographers Andrew McCarthy (previously) and Jason Guenzel recently teamed up to create a staggering look at the sun that showcases the textured, fiery details of its atmosphere. Comprised of approximately 90,000 individual images, “Fusion of Helios” showcases the usually invisible solar corona, the outermost layer that tends to be hidden by the sun’s powerful glare. “To get a scientifically plausible look at it, we used NASA’s SOHO data as a reference to geometrically transform Jason’s 2017 eclipse photo to match the features,” McCarthy shares. “The result is a blend of science and art, and my favorite piece of work I’ve been a part of.”

Jets of plasma known as spicules appear like wispy fibers cloaking the sun’s surface, while a tall column shoots from the upper right. This solar eruption, which McCarthy likens to a tornado, stretches the same height as 14 planet Earths as it rapidly swirls and sheds balls of plasma the size of the moon.

Check out a video of the twister-like phenomenon on Instagram, and find prints of “Fusion of Helios” in both McCarthy’s and Guenzel’s shops. (via Kottke)

Photography Science

The Moon Sways Through Its Phases in an Incredible Timelapse Made from Over 2 Million Images

In lunar astronomy, a phenomenon known as libration is the perception that the moon is wavering or swaying in the sky when viewed from Earth. Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy (previously) wanted to record this fascinating occurrence in high resolution to emphasize the changes in light and contrast across the vast and cratered lunar surface.

For nearly a month, he traveled around the state of Arizona in search of clear skies, dodging bad weather and a dust storm to capture clear images of the moon as it reached its zenith every night. In total, more than two million individual photographs comprise the final timelapse, and each full image in the animation includes between 30,000 and 200,000 image files. A print edition is also available on his website and highlights different features through each phase as the celestial body waxes and wanes.

Photography

A Stunning Photo Documents the Colorful Comet Leonard Streaking Through the Nighttime Sky

Image © Andrew McCarthy, shared with permission

Set against a star-studded backdrop, Comet Leonard, aka the Chrismas Comet, blazed overhead on December 26, emitting a colorful stream of light that illuminated the dark skies. Andrew McCarthy (previously) documented the celestial body as it hurtled over the Arizona horizon and created this striking, magnified composite of 25 separate shots. The image, along with a wider photo shown below, captures the brilliant colors surrounding the nucleus as it flies 150,000 miles per hour through space. Comet Leonard was first spotted about 466 million miles away on January 3, 2021, and is making its closest pass to the sun exactly one year later, before it’s expelled from our solar system entirely.

McCarthy details his 12-minute process for documenting the body on PetaPixel—watch this clip to see how far the comet moved during that period—and explore his wide range of astrophotography on Instagram and his site, where he also sells prints.

Photography

A Massive Composite of 150,000 Images Reveals the Swirling, Feather-Like Details of the Sun

All images © Andrew McCarthy, shared with permission

From dark spots and wispy flares to coronal loops that burst upward in brilliant arches, a giant new composite by Andrew McCarthy (previously) exposes the intricate, swirling patterns that cloak the sun’s surface. “Fire and Fusion” is a 300-megapixel image captured at 2 p.m. on November 29 and the Arizona-based photographer’s most detailed shot of the celestial matter yet. “Our star is a chaotic ball of plasma. Planet-sized streams of plasma snake up from the surface, dwarfed by looming prominences and filaments,” he says. “Blinding bursts of energy stem from areas of heightened magnetic activity, pushing and pulling on the solar surface and creating fascinating patterns in the atmosphere.”

Prints and full-resolution files of the extraordinarily detailed shot are available on McCarthy’s site and Patreon, and you can explore more of his astrophotography on Instagram.

Photography

Stunning Photographs Capture the International Space Station Traveling Across the Sun and Moon

All images © Andrew McCarthy, shared with permission

Back in October, Sacramento-based photographer Andrew McCarthy staked out in his backyard to document the International Space Station on one of its trips across the sun. Using two scopes, he successfully captured the image, which frames the station in the upper left corner of the fiery mass.

Two weeks later, he repeated that process: “Yesterday morning after spending hours scouting for the right location, I set up my gear on the side of a road hoping to capture something I’ve never seen before. The ISS, illuminated by daylight, transiting a razor-thin crescent moon,” he writes on Instagram. McCarthy’s endeavor is particularly impressive because when standing on Earth, the ISS passes both celestial bodies in less than a second.

Prints of McCarthy’s stunning photographs are available from Image Kind. He also offers digital wallpapers and updates on his latest projects and celestial happenings on Patreon. (via PetaPixel)