Milky Way and Volcanic Desert Landscapes North Lipez Bolivia
by James Brunker
Title
Milky Way and Volcanic Desert Landscapes North Lipez Bolivia
Artist
James Brunker
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The Milky Way rises above one of many surreal eroded lava rock formations in North Lipez Province in south west Bolivia. Wind erosion (aeolian or eolian processes caused by sand and gravel being blown across this barren region) over time has sculpted the lava outcrops into many bizarre shapes and forms. Lighting from a small LED panel was used to light the foreground and bring out the textures and colour in the rock. The peaks in the distance are Caquella (5947m / 19,510ft, L) and Canapa (5882m / 19,300ft, R) volcanos.
The Magellanic Clouds can also be clearly seen above and to the right of the rock. The Magellanic Clouds are irregular dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way that can be seen in the southern hemisphere. The upper one is the Large Magellanic Cloud or LMC, below it the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The colours in the sky are airglow or nightglow, caused by various processes in the upper atmosphere (including cosmic radiation, ionization of atoms by the sun's radiation and others). The dark patch above the left of the rock is the Coalsack Dark Nebula. The Inca and other Andean peoples also gave these dark constellations names, they called the Coalsack Yutu or the Tinamou (a type of ground partridge found in the region). The 2 bright stars below it and to the left are Alpha and Beta Centauri, part of the constellation Centaurus. The Incas called these stars "The Llama's Eyes", the dark nebula below them is the body of the llama.
Photograph © James Brunker. Reproduction, transmission or use in any form (print, website, etc) without prior written permission strictly prohibited.
Uploaded
July 24th, 2018
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