Astrophoto: Polaris and Circumpolar Rotation in 30 Minutes

By Nancy Atkinson - October 26, 2012 at 12:37 PM UTC | Observing
circumpolar-rotation.jpg

This recent image from astrophotographer John Chumack shows the Earth's natural rotation in just 30 minutes of exposure time. Polaris, the North Star, is the stationary point over a Sequoia tree in Warrenton, Virginia, USA. "The rotational speed of the Earth at the equator is about 1,038 miles per hour," John writes. "At mid-latitudes, the speed of the Earth's rotation decreases to 700 - 900 miles per hour. You can notice star trails "rotation" in your photographs even in as little as 1 minute exposures. I notice star trailing in about 30 seconds with a 17mm wide angle lens. But the longer you leave the shutter open the more trailing and the more dramatic the effect!"

John used a Canon Rebel Xsi, ISO 400, .17mm Lens at F4.

See more of his work at his website,

Galactic Images.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you're giving us permission to post them). Please explain what's in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com