Earth Vistas

Looking for Mars?

James — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:35:33 +0000

My main site, where I post regular images made for the Mars Exploration Rover images is found here

HAPS-D/NOVA8 360 Degree Panorama v2

James — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:54:54 +0000

The heavy cloud cover makes it next to impossible to match up some images. So there is a large amount of guesswork and fudging involved in this.

Half resolution (3100 x 3100) (964kb)
Quarter resolution (1550 x 1550) (248kb)

HAPS-D/NOVA8 360 Degree Panorama

James — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:04:32 +0000

Following the successful HAPS-1 launch last weekend, another balloon launch was made for Cambridge before dawn on Friday 29th August 2008. There is a HUGE about of data from this that I haven't even started to go through. (It's still downloading as I type!) Here is a 360 degree horizon panorama to be getting on with while I digest this data properly.

Congratulations to the team for pulling off another amazing flight. (And for staying up all night!)

Full resolution (19924 x 3784) (5.5Mb)
Half resolution (9962 x 1892) (1.4Mb)
Quarter resolution (4981 x 946) (512kb)

Full resolution (5100 x 5100) (2.0Mb)
Half resolution (2550 x 2550) (504kb)
Quarter resolution (1275 x 1275) (132kb)

HAPS-1 360 degree Panorama - using video stills to fill gaps

James — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:39:53 +0000

Using some stills extracted from the video also taken, I have been able to (almost) fill in the remaining missing parts of the panorama at low resolution.

Quarter resolution (1500 x 1490) (360kb)

HAPS-1 360 degree Panorama - 2nd version

James — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:38:12 +0000

As HAPS-1 plummeted back to Earth after the balloon burst at 32,000m (106,000ft) the camera was able to capture some shots pointed towards the ground. Some of these are quite blurry as the gondola was spinning rapidly. It was also descending quite fast and so the point of view changed quite rapidly limiting the number of images that could be used. So this image has quite a few imperfections but still gives a nice impression of the view from 100,000ft above England. And is much more than I ever hoped for from this first attempt with a single camera.

Full resolution (19580 x 6046) (10.5Mb)
Half resolution (9790 x 3023) (3.0Mb)
Quarter resolution (4895 x 1512) (904kb)
One Eighth resolution (2448 x 756) (288kb)

Full resolution (5804 x 5806) (3.3Mb)
Half resolution (2902 x 2903) (1.0Mb)
Quarter resolution (1451 x 1452) (304kb)

HAPS-1 360 degree Panorama

James — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:21:12 +0000

A 360 degree panorama made from images from the HAPS-1 balloon launch on 24th August 2008 from Cambridge, England. Taken at between 28,000 - 31,000m (92,000 - 101,000ft). In the foreground part of East Anglia can be seen with the North Sea beyond. On the left, under cloud is much of England and on the right, under even more cloud is Northern Europe.

Full resolution (19580 x 4351) (6.1Mb)
Half resolution (9790 x 2176) (1.6Mb)
Quarter resolution (4895 x 1088) (460kb)

Full resolution (5332 x 5320) (2.0Mb)
Half resolution (2666 x 2660) (572kb)
Quarter resolution (1333 x 1330) (172kb)

Welcome

James — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:33:25 +0000

I notice a lot of you are modifying the URL from my Mars site to get here. Sorry to disappoint you, but there is nothing to show you at the moment. Life is too busy for a personal blog here, whatever that might turn out to be.

The Martian Vistas blog is my only one. Unless you count my guest blog on The Planetary Society for this week (9th - 13th June 2008) only.

James