Nice pic - but laughable reporting from the daily fail!

[Claire]

Six months' worth of Sun photos in one incredible shot (and all done with a pinhole camera made from a beer can) | Mail Online

[661-pete]

I find it hard to believe that a static pinhole camera (made from a beer can - or any sort of cylindrical object) could have had sufficient FOV to catch both sunrise and sunset near the summer solstice. Perhaps someone could explain?

[Cornelius Varley]

I suspect the photographic paper was placed on the cylindrical part of the can, so you get a panoramic photo.

Peter

[RogerTheDodger]

I've built a couple of pinhole cameras, that one must have a glass ball or some sort of other lens in front of it to give it the wide angle.

[garethmob]

What kind of paper do you guys think was used? And weather protection?

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[michaelmorris]

I find it hard to believe that a static pinhole camera (made from a beer can - or any sort of cylindrical object) could have had sufficient FOV to catch both sunrise and sunset near the summer solstice. Perhaps someone could explain?

In this type of pinhole camera the film is attached in a long strip to the inside circumference of the cylinder. The film is slowly exposed as the Sun moves across the film.

[lukebl]

Solargraphy, it's called. It's a bit of a global phenomenon. The pictures are often taken using something as small as an old 35mm film canister. Beats me how it doesn't get overexposed, though.

[garethmob]

What you mean Michael? Would it be on a slow electric motor?

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[lukebl]

Here's how: SolargraphyGallery - How to make a pinhole camera

[661-pete]

In this type of pinhole camera the film is attached in a long strip to the inside circumference of the cylinder. The film is slowly exposed as the Sun moves across the film.

It could still have no more than a 90° fov surely? The extremes would be: (1) rays coming from due East which strike the point of the cylinder where the pinhole is, tangentially, and (2) rays from due West (likewise).

Therefore I do not see how rays coming from NE (summer sunrise) and NW (summer sunset) could have been both captured with a single static camera.

Unless more than one camera was used.

[callump]

Although i'd be the first to poke fun at the daily mail - i'm not sure what is wrong with the reporting here.

If you mean it talking about the PATH of the Sun - well, there's nothing wrong with that - the Sun does follow an apparent path across the sky, just like the Moon, planets, comets...

Callum

[SeedyF]

I've seen this done (in publications) a number of times, I think it is indeed the fact that the film is arced with the natural curve of the can to give such a wide field of view. When the sun shines on the pinhole from the east it will strike the paper on the left side of the can and vice versa won't it? When the sun is in the south it will strike the paper in the centre.

[Shibby]

T'was APOD 3 days ago...

APOD: 2012 January 21 - Days in the Sun

[Cornelius Varley]

Here's another explanation How to take a 6 month exposure

Peter

[661-pete]

T'was APOD 3 days ago...

APOD: 2012 January 21 - Days in the Sun

Ah well - that explains it: the DM article was little more than a verbatim quote of Dr Sarzi's write-up on APOD. And seems OK to me - and I'm certainly no DM fan as a rule!

The only 'laughable' part is the comments section, where some guys who know better have a pop at the DM (and by corollary, a pop at Dr Sarzi) for daring to come across all pre-Galileo on the Sun 'orbiting' the Earth. That's not what Dr Sarzi says at all: he merely says that the Sun appears to follow a 'path' across the sky as seen by an Earth based observer - as of course it does.

If we were to take Galileo too literally, we could no longer talk of 'sunrise' or 'sunset' - instead we'd have to say 'EarthTurnsSoThatSunsRaysNoLongerStrikeThisPoint' or something equally unpronounceable...

[RogerTheDodger]

Here's another explanation How to take a 6 month exposure

Peter

How interesting...

[pete_l]

Here's another explanation How to take a 6 month exposure

That bit about using your computer's scanner to "develop" the film sounds far too clever - impressive.

I just *know* that if I tried this, I'd probably put the film in with the sensitive side facing the outside

[garethmob]

Sounds pretty cool. But one thing a little confusing me. Is the photo paper bog standered inkjet printer paper or film?

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[Mr Spock]

6 months at f8 - sounds like Agfa film...

[SeedyF]

Sounds pretty cool. But one thing a little confusing me. Is the photo paper bog standered inkjet printer paper or film?

Gareth

It has to be film - as would be put in a camera, rather than paper that goes in a printer.

[callump]

No - it has to be photo-paper - film is too sensitive to leave out for months...

Callum

[Cornelius Varley]

Light sensitive photographic paper.. just like in the old (pre digital) days.

Peter

[garethmob]

so the kind that they used in polaride cameras?

[Cornelius Varley]

so the kind that they used in polaride cameras?

Photographic paper as used to create prints using an enlarger and a film negative. One of these LPL C7700 PRO ENLARGER + COLOUR + B&W HEADS | eBay and some of this ILFORD MGIV RC DELUXE 5X7 PEARL 100 DARKROOM PAPER ***Free P&P*** | eBay

Peter

[661-pete]

Regarding very long-exposure 'photography'...

Something is tugging at my memory - not sure where it came from.

Some sort of 'schoolboy' experiment in which you contrived to 'print' an image on the skin of an apple.

The idea was, you need an apple tree, preferably a variety that goes deep red when ripe. You glue a snippet of photographic negative onto the skin (sunward side) of a still-green apple on the tree, taking care to disturb the apple as little as possible. Then wait a few weeks for the apple to ripen. Remove the negative. Lo! You have a contact print from your negative on the apple.

Don't know whether this works. Anyone know any more?