This Stunning 4k Time-Lapse Movie Explores the Predictability of Our Planetary System

Every sunset and sunrise. Every moonrise and moonset. The rise and the trajectory of the Milky Way. The fall and direction of shadows as the moon sets and the Milky Way rises. We can predict astronomical events with absolute accuracy from any place on Earth. The short movie explores the predictability of our planetary system.

Kai Gradert shared with us the following details on his video, which was deflickered using LRTimelapse:

There are approximately one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe. Planet Earth is billions of years old.

Our planet is the only astronomical object known to harbor life as we know it. The solar system is vast and complex. The chaos that emerged from the Big Bang arrived at a place of stability. Planets are in a delicate balance.

Every sunset and sunrise. Every moonrise and moonset. The rise and the trajectory of the Milky Way. The fall and direction of shadows as the moon sets and the Milky Way rises. We can predict astronomical events with absolute accuracy from any place on Earth.

Ever since I have been capturing landscape and time-lapse photography, I’ve been fascinated with the clockwork precision of celestial events.

This short movie explores the predictability of our planetary system.

Catch the first sun rays break over Half Dome in Yosemite. Watch the shadows get longer while the moon sets and the Milky Way rises in the opposite direction.

Follow the Milky Way span the night sky, giving us a glimpse of what else may be out there. Catch the Milky Way rising from behind the moonlit landscape only moments after the moon set. Catch the Supermoon rising over Yosemite.

With only a few data points we can predict astronomical events. We can predict the moon phase and the rise of the Milky Way years in advance. It seems obvious, and we take it for granted, but it is humbling to know there are balance and order among the chaos.

It puts life on the human scale into perspective. It makes you wonder if the same predictability pertains to life on Earth. Everything is going through cycles. The seasons, our bodies, stock markets. Can, or should we, be able to predict everything given the right data points?

Earth’s orbit has been stable for billions of years. Without stability, there is no life on Earth. Without stability, we would not exist. Calmness comes from predictability. To create life, we need predictability.

If you want to know more about Kai Gradert, don’t forget check the following out:
http://photos.kaigradert.com and
https://twitter.com/kaigradert