Astronomer Captures Breathtaking Time-Lapse Video Of Earth's Rotation From Ladakh

Indian astronomer Dorje Angchuk has captured a breathtaking time-lapse video that showcases the Earth's rotation against the serene landscape of Ladakh. Shot from the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, the footage provides a unique visual representation of our planet's movement, with the Milky Way appearing stationary in the night sky. As the engineer-in-charge at the observatory, Mr Angchuk aims to take his project to the next level by capturing a seamless 24-hour time-lapse that showcases the stunning transition from day to night.

"A Day in Motion – Capturing Earth's Rotation. The stars remain still, but Earth never stops spinning. My goal was to capture a full 24-hour time-lapse, revealing the transition from day to night and back again," the video was captioned. 

Watch the video here:

A Day in Motion – Capturing Earth's Rotation

The stars remain still, but Earth never stops spinning. My goal was to capture a full 24-hour time-lapse, revealing the transition from day to night and back again. @IIABengaluru @asipoec (1/n) pic.twitter.com/LnCQNXJC9R

— Dorje Angchuk (@dorje1974) January 31, 2025

Mr Angchuk's ambitious project to capture the Earth's rotation in a time-lapse video was not without its challenges. Initially, he aimed to frame the constellation Orion, but its high position in the sky at his latitude proved difficult to navigate. The harsh, cold conditions in Ladakh also took a toll on his equipment, quickly draining camera batteries and pushing his gear to its limits.

Over four gruelling nights, he faced numerous setbacks, including storage issues, battery failures, and timer malfunctions. However, each obstacle taught him valuable lessons, prompting him to refine his setup. By utilising a tracker for motion and mobile controls for exposure transitions, he finally succeeded in capturing a seamless sequence of the Earth's rotation.

Despite overcoming the challenges of capturing the footage, Mr Angchuk still faced hurdles during post-processing. He had to carefully crop inconsistencies in framing to achieve a polished final product. The project was inspired by a request for a time-lapse video that could help students visualize and understand the Earth's rotation.

"This idea cropped up when I was asked incase a timelapse can be done so that students can understand the earth rotation through a video. It would have been more interesting frame with wider angle lens. This time-lapse is best experienced on loop mode and full screen to truly appreciate the movement of Earth under the vast, unchanging sky," Mr Angchuk explained.