Night Trails of Africa

As seen on Astronomy Picture of the Day this three-hour time exposure is taken in Kenya while on a photo safari in wildlife areas. Being near the equator this 180° angle of westward facing view covers both the northern and southern hemispheres of star trails. The southern pole is on the left, and the northern pole is on the right. The center of the shot is facing straight west.

As noted by the photographer “It was impossible to go outside the electric fence of our night camp into the clear countryside to shoot because it was us photographers that were in the cage that night, to be protected from wildlife. But I had a guide go with me to the rivers edge in the compound where there was a break in the tree line. The guide went ahead to make sure there were no crocodiles in the area, and I set the camera up in the dark and opened the shutter for three hours in this dark clear November night. It was a bit awkward returning to shut down the exposure, as we had to approach the river with trying to keep the flashlights near the ground, to keep the light from spilling into the image, while at the same time making sure we were not being watched ourselves”.