The Date: 14th September 1996. The Time: 12.27am.
The night is cool and quiet, the air is still, from the East is the faint glow of the night life on the Gold Coast. The SAS has their encampment on a hill beside Maroon Dam.
Everyone was committed to their eyepieces when from the South-West came the sonic boom. The club looked up to the sky as one. The ground took on a bright blue glow as a Meteor streaked across the sky, becoming so bright that many had to shield their eyes from the spectacle.
Then came the explosion that rocked the buildings to their very foundations. Mount Maroon was engulfed in an unbearably hot fire-ball. The blast of hot air that followed, threw us to the ground as if we were rag dolls. People screamed, the air was on fire, and I watch too many Spielberg movies.
Gary Gawronski
Well its April, isn't it ( har, har har,… )!
The Date and Time are correct, but it was actually just burning off in progress. What we really have here is Orion and Canis Major rising over Mount Maroon in a 45 minute exposure on Kodak Ektachrome 400 Elite at f2.8 with a 50mm lens. Sirius is the bright one rising from the flames.
Well done Gary!!!
Some of Gary's Astrophotos:
