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Taken from the Stoer peninsula this panorama shows most of the mountains of the North West coast of Scotand. If you look closely out to sea you can just make out Lewis. |
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It has been almost a century since Antarctic Explorers bound for the South Pole used Discovery Hut as a haven from the the fierce weather that they encountered on the continent's edge.
The Discovery Hut was built in 1901 by the Discovery Expedition which was lead by Robert Falcon Scott. Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition used the hut in 1908. Scott used it again during this 1910-1914 Terra Nova Expedition and his attempt at the Pole. Among other occupants during this expedition, Apsley Cherry-Garrard, Dr. Edward Wilson and Henry Bowers used the hut on their return from the Emperor Penguin colony at Cape Crozier. The last expedition to use it was Ernest Shackleon's Ross Sea Party in 1917. After that, the hut was abandoned, and Antarctica filled it and buried it in a protective blanket of snow. In 1956, the hut was rediscovered and dug out of the snow. The extreme cold of Antarctica had preserved it well, and artifacts including foods and clothes were found in very good condition. Although some of the artifacts were removed as souvenirs, there are enough clues remaining to provide an interesting glimpse of the lives of Antarctic explorers. Please discover for yourself some of the items from the Golden Age of Antarctic exploration, as they are seen today in Discovery Hut. The 14 images of this panorama were photographed with a Nikon D-80 and stitched with Autopano Pro. |
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McMurdo is a bustling community of scientists and support people on Ross Island on the edge of the shore of Ross Sound.
There is much research in the Ross Island area, and most of the these building support that research. McMurdo is also the gate to the interior of Antarctica, and scientists and support staff bound for Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station can count on spending some time here waiting for planes and learning about life on the ice. The 24 images for this panorama were photographed from the observation deck of the "chalet", which houses offices of the National Science Foundation. I used a Nikon D80 and stitched the images with Autopano Pro. |
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My second gigapan test using 70 X 5Mp images. (first was from the front door....successful but not too exciting).
This is using the Epic 100 with a Canon Powershot A610. |
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This panorama of McMurdo Station displays some early summer activities.
McMurdo is a staging point for research in the Dry Valleys and for marine research in the waters nearby. McMurdo is also the point through which most people and supplies pass on their way to the Pole. Look around and see some of the equipment and storage containers that can be found here. The 49 images of this panorama were photographed with a Nikon D80 and stitched with Autopano Pro. |
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This pan is an homage to http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15344
which is what a tidy office should look like, and can be seen on two of the screens in the pan if you look closely. |
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360 panoramic view from the Castle Rock (see snapshot: http://gigapan.org/alpha/gigapans/19393/snapshots/59074/ )
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Here is a closer view of Discovery Hut, the rustic structure that Robert Falcon Scott brought to Hut Point on Ross Island in 1902. The wooden building was designed to stay cool in Australia's outback. It was very efficient at cooling, and it tended to fill with snow when it was not occupied. The hut was used by 3 expeditions who were on their way south in pursuit of the Pole. When the quest for the Pole ended, the hut was abandoned, and it was hidden beneath the snow of Hut Point until the 1950's, when it was rediscovered. If you ever visit McMurdo, don't forget to walk down to the hut and take a walk up the hill to see Vince's Cross. To enter the hut, make arrangements for a guided tour of the hut. the 32 images of this photograph were captured with a Nikon D80 and stitched with Autopano-Pro |
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Here we see the helicopter pad at McMurdo Research Station on Ross Island, Antarctica.
Most of the times that I walked by this place the helicopters were out flying. This afternoon I was fortunate to find two helicopters on the ground, and so there are a couple of helicopters in the photograph. The helicopter on the left is newly returned from a trip to the Dry Valleys. The one on the right returned a few minutes ago from hauling supplies out onto the ice. The colorful wagons on the left of the photograph stand out on this continent where white and blue dominate the landscape. This photograph was taken in the Spring, and you can see quite a bit of bare soil. McMurdo, which is on the Antarctic coast, has a lot of this exposed gravelly soil in summer. Most of Antarctica is covered by deep ice and snow. Folks at the Pole, where the ice is almost 2 miles thick, don't get to see very much dirt. There is a nice group of Antarctic-style buildings on the ice over to the right of the image. Scientists use buildings like these during their research. Off in the distance you can see flag lines and more buildings on ice. As more scientists arrive from New Zealand, there will be a lot more vehicles, buildings and activity on the ice. You may notice that helicopters are not the only vehicles in this image. You can also see some of the signage that is unique to McMurdo and Antarctica. The 28 images of this panorama were photographed wiith a Nikon D80 and stitched with Autopano Pro. |
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Scott Base shares Hut Peninsula on Ross Island with McMurdo Research Station. A short walk can take you from one station to the other. Instead of the multitude of multicolored buildings at McMurdo, Scott Base has a cool spring green monotone. The summer population of McMurdo is around 1200 people. About 250 people winterover. Scott Base's summer population may reach 50 to 80. A crew of 10 overwinters. Both bases are a 2,180 mile, 5 hours flight south of Christchurch New Zealand. |