Solar Analemma: When solargraphy meets astronomy​​

In 2000, Slawomir Decyk , Paweł Kula and Diego Lopez Calvin invented solargraphy, a technique that allows to record tracks the sun in the sky during the extremely long exposure times. It is a combination of pinhole photography with a totally innovative approach to the use of photographic paper. Black-and-white photographic paper is photosensitive itself. Incident light causes blackening of the paper without any chemical development. This property of the paper was known for a long time, but due to the low effective sensitivity have not been applied. No one had ever planned exposure of photographic paper without the use of developer and fixer. The use of a dry paper in combination with pinhole camera extends exposure times from one day to six months or longer. The amount of light which goes through the pinhole (with a diameter less than 1mm) makes moving objects invisible in solargraphs. No people, no animals, no cars on the street. It remains only to what was motionless the whole time during the duration of the exposure. Only one registered object in motion is the Sun, which leaves bright curved lines one above each other, broken by periods of cloudiness. Each line corresponds to one day. Every day the Sun is plotting a path at a different height above the horizon. This opens the possibility to register analemma.

Our exemplary analemmas

Analemma in solargraphy

Solargraphy technique requires specific character: patience. However, the attempt to capture the analemma forces one to go even further. Requires knowledge necessary for its registration. Thinking over the entire project deeply into various aspects: the direction of the field-of-view of the camera, expositiom period, exposition time, how to solve the problem of accurate timing, power supply, etc. If all this would succeded 365 times the success will be possible. Analemma captured by solargraphy is unique: it is recorded on a single frame without overlapping or digital image capture. It is the first ever exposed every day.
Analemma – a record of movement of the celestial spheres inaccessible to human senses. The ability to capture analemma is available only for persistent, consistent, patient, having astronomical knowledge ones. Analemma arises when during whole yearevery day and exactly at the same time one records the position of the Sun in the sky. It’s like going to the gym daily: each day the muscles repeat the same movements thousands times creating the effect. Visible effect. After the result, we can imagine the amount of work. As people treading path in the grass. As a recess in a chopping board. As wiping stone steps in old churches caused by putting feet in the same place y different people for centuries. For this you can compare cathing the analemma. 
The analemma has both aesthetic and scientific values. Visually, at first glance, you can see a big figure eight in the sky. The shape of this figure, however, is determined by the celestial mechanics. By the laws of physics, which are valid for all objects in the universe. All atoms, molecules, living creatures, planets, stars and galaxies. To understand the mechanisms that govern the shape of analemma one needs mental effort, which opens further and deeper areas of aesthetics, stored in the structure of the Universe [1]. It’s as if the glass balls scattered randomly form pattern. Pattern which is stable and reproducible, but visible only at certain moments and in certain places only for someone who knows how to look. The atoms which are diffused randomly organizing themselves under the laws of physics in an increasingly hierarchic structure. No longer single atoms, but the stars, planets, people, which are the subject to the eternal laws of motion. Earth, as one of the planet, is on such and not another orbit, with such and no other period of revolution, orbit ellipticity, inclination of the axis and period of rotation. These periods and shapes affect shape of the analemma. Shape which is present and unchanged in the sky for centuries. Present shape in the form of long formulas and charts only for the elect, registered in the photograph for the first time in 1979 by Dennis di Cicco [2] and a few later. Apparently more people have stand on the lunar surface than have successfully photographed the analemma [3]. More about the analemma can be found in Wikipedia.

The list of registered analemmas over the world

No. Year Author Location Method No. of expositions Remarks Reference
1 1979 Dennis di Cicco USA analog 45 Single frame link
2 1989 H.J.P. Arnold UK analog 40 Single + foreground
3 1991 Frank Zullo USA analog 38 Single + foreground
4 1999 Jack Fishburn USA analog 26 Single frame
5 1999 Vasiliy Rumyantsev Ukraine analog 34 Single frame
6 2003 Anthony Ayiomamitis Greece digital 46
7 2004 Juan Carlos Casado Spain analog 53 digitally processed link
8 2005 Ivo Dinev Romania digital? 19 ? link
9 2006 Cenk E. Tezel & Tunç Tezel Turkey digital 32 composite link
10 2008 Libor Judas (with: V. Dziedzicová, M. Krejčí, Š. Vejvančický) Czech Republic analog camera + digital processing 47 composite link
11 2010? Tamas Ladanyi Hungary digital 36 link
12 2011 Paweł Janczaruk Poland analog, pinhole 30? Single frame link
13 2011? Sharon F. Keisha ? digital 21 link
14 2012 Robert Pölzl Austria digital
15 2012 Thomas Hebbeker Germany digital 365 link
16 2012 Tunç Tezel Azerbaijan digital 18? composite link
17 2013 Peter Hill ? solargraphy 50 Single frame link
18 2013 Robert Nufer Schwitzerland movie Every 1 minute link
19 2013 Pál Váradi Nagy Romania digital 26+1 composite link
20 2013 Shiraishi Japan digital 50 link
21 2014 Zapiór & Fajfrowski Poland solargraphy 365, 3 times a day Single frame, 3 analemmas analemma.pl
22 2014 Aswan Korula India digital 26 link
23 2014 György Soponyai Hungary digital ? composite link
24 2014 István Mátis Romania digital ? composite link
25 2014 Adrianos Golemis Antarctica digital 23 Composite. Only a half of the analemma visible, because of the polar night. Link
26 2014 Luca Vanzella Canada analog and digital 38+1 Single frame and composite Link
27 2015 Dariusz Dorosz Poland solargraphy approx. 160 6-min exposition daily Link
28 2015 Zapiór & Fajfrowski Poland solargraphy 365, 5 times a day Single frame, 5 analemmas analemma.pl
29 2015 Zapiór & Fajfrowski Poland solargraphy 365, 4 times a day Single frame, 4 analemmas analemma.pl
30 2016 Dariusz Dorosz Poland solargraphy Single frame Link
31 2016 Alexandra Hart UK digital Composed Link

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