Southern Sky Above Lake Titicaca
1997 Southern Skies Star Party
Copyright by Fred Espenak. All rights reserved.
In late June and early July of 1997, I attended the second annual Southern Skies Star Party organized by Ken Willcox.
This event is held in Bolivia along the shores of Lake Titicaca (12,500 feet).
At that elevation, the southern skies are fabulously dark.
Our group of about 22 people stayed at the Inca Ultama Hotel which afforded a large protected area to set up our telescopes for the week.
A detailed description of the 1996 Southern Skies Star Party was written by Ken Willcox.
Below is a sampling of photographs I took through a range of lenses and an AstroPhysics 105EDT 4" telescope.
Special thanks to Vic Winter for loaning me his 8mm, 85mm and 400mm Nikkors!
All photos are ©1997 by Fred Espenak.
Photos of the 1997 Southern Skies Star Party
- Inca Utama Hotel (JPEG, 63 Kbyte)
During the Southern Skies Star Party, our group stays at the Inca Utama Hotel located on the southeast shore of Lake Titicaca.
- Model of Thor Heyerdal's Ra II (JPEG, 47 Kbyte)
The Inca Utama Hotel features a number of cultural and historical exhibits and museums. This 50% scale model of Thor Heyerdal's Ra II was built by Jose Lamache who helped Heyerdal build the original. Heyerdal used the Ra II to demonstrate that Egyptian boat builders could have reached the new world using only reel boat technology.
- Traditional Bolivian Lunch (JPEG, 62 Kbyte)
Ken Willcox, Pat Totten and Vic Winter enjoy a traditional Bolivian lunch while hunting for Bolivian fossils.
- Group photo at the 1997 SSSP (JPEG, 89 Kbyte)
- SSSP organizer Ken Willcox with his Losmandy GM-8 equatorial mount (JPEG, 63 Kbyte)
- Thane Bopp and his 10 inch super portable dobsonian (JPEG, 80 Kbyte)
Thane Bopp (no relation to the comet discoverer) brought his home made 10 inch dobsonian to SSSP'97. The compact telescope weighs less than 30 pounds and packs down into one suitcase!
- Scot Mitchell and his 16 inch dobsonian (JPEG, 44 Kbyte)
Scot generously gave everyone wonderful views through his big 'scope.
- Vic Winter and his modified Super Polaris equatorial mount (JPEG, 69 Kbyte)
- Fred Espenak and his 4 inch AstroPhysics refractor (JPEG, 62 Kbyte)
This instrument was used to guide all the piggybacked astrophotos on this page. A number of photos were also shot through the refractor using an off-axis guider.
- Machu Picchu! (JPEG, 74 Kbyte)
After SSSP'97, a dozen expeditioners stopped in Peru to visit the fabled "Lost City of the Incas!"
- Indian Porter on the Inca Trail near Machu Picchu (JPEG, 77 Kbyte)
- Peruvian Girl enjoys an ice cream (JPEG, 62 Kbyte)
- Peruvian Woman with Child (JPEG, 66 Kbyte)
Astrophotophotography During the 1996 Southern Skies Star Party
- Southern Milky Way Over Lake Titicaca (JPEG, 81 Kbyte)
16mm f/2.8 Nikkor Fish Eye, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 24 minutes @ f2.8
- Wide Field View of Centaurus, Crux and Carina (JPEG, 101 Kbyte)
35mm f/2 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 6 minutes @ f2
- Centaurus, Crux and Carina (JPEG, 100 Kbyte)
50mm f/1.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f2.8
- Eta Carina Nebula (JPEG, 96 Kbyte)
400mm f/3.5 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f3.5
Sandwich of two 25 minute shots.
- Close-Up of Eta Carina Nebula (JPEG, 96 Kbyte)
AstroPhysics 105EDT (fl=620mm) f/5.9, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f/5.9
- All-Sky View of Southern Milky Way (JPEG, 70 Kbyte)
8mm f/2.8 Nikkor Fish-Eye, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 24 minutes @ f2.8
- Hut and Star Trails Over Lake Titicaca (JPEG, 77 Kbyte)
16mm f/2.8 Nikkor Fish Eye, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 65 minutes @ f2.8
- Milky Way thru Sagittarius and Scorpius (JPEG, 99 Kbyte)
35mm f/2 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f2.8
- Pipe Nebula and Alpha Sco (JPEG, 93 Kbyte)
105mm f/2.5 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f2.8
Sandwich of two 12 minute shots.
- Nebulosity around Alpha Sco and Rho Oph (JPEG, 84 Kbyte)
400mm f/3.5 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f3.5
Sandwich of two 25 minute shots.
- Sagittarius and M8 Nebula (JPEG, 109 Kbyte)
180mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f2.8
- M8 and M20 Nebulae (JPEG, 84 Kbyte)
AstroPhysics 105EDT (fl=620mm) f/5.9, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f/5.9
- Close-Up of M8 Nebula (JPEG, 49 Kbyte)
AstroPhysics 105EDT (fl=620mm) f/5.9, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 25 minutes @ f/5.9
- Small and Large Magellanic Clouds Above Lake Titicaca (JPEG, 88 Kbyte)
35mm f/2 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 4 minutes @ f2
- Small Magellanic Cloud and 47 Tucanae (JPEG, 84 Kbyte)
180mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f2.8
- Large Magellanic Cloud (JPEG, 74 Kbyte)
105mm f/2.5 Nikkor, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 12 minutes @ f2.8
- Mud Huts and Star Trails Over Lake Titicaca (JPEG, 102 Kbyte)
24mm f/2.8 Nikkor Fish Eye, Fuji Super G 800 Plus, 90 minutes @ f5.6
The first Southern Skies Star Party was held in 1996.
Astrophotos are online at Espenak's SSSP'96 Photo Gallery.
For more photo's and information about the 1997 Southern Skies Star Party as well as many wonderful images
of Bolivia, see Vic Winter's SSSP'97 Web Page.
For more information and photos, see Southern Skies Star Party.
Southern Sky Astrophotography Links
Astronomy Photograph Links
Copyright Notice
All photographs, text and web pages are © Copyright 2007 by Fred Espenak, unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved. They may not be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any form, including electronically on the Internet or WWW, without written permission of the author.
The photos have been digitally watermarked.
The photographs may be licensed for commercial, editorial, and educational use.
Contact Espenak (at MrEclipse) for photo use in print, web, video, CD and all other media.
WebMaster: MrEclipse
Last revised: 2008 Feb 10
