Visit China - Nanchang and Beijing

The cosmology of imperial China is written into the geometry of the Forbidden City, where architecture functioned as a model of the universe. Aligned precisely along a north–south axis, the palace mirrored the celestial meridian, placing the emperor symbolically at the pivot between Heaven and Earth.
At its southern entrance, the Meridian Gate marked both political and astronomical orientation, acting as the terrestrial counterpart to the sky’s central meridian.

Sunrise between Bejing and Nanchang

Bayi Square Nanchang - Second largest square in China

Tengwang Pavilion Nanchang - One of the three famous historical towers

Skyline in Nanchang

Skyline in Nanchang

Temple of Heaven: Imperial Vault

Forbidden City Meridian Gate

Forbidden City Gate of Supreme Harmony

Court rituals timed to solstices and equinoxes reinforced this alignment, embedding governance within celestial cycles.
Beyond the palace, the ritual landscape extended to the Imperial Vault of Heaven, whose circular form echoed the dome of the sky and housed tablets of divine order.
This structure formed part of the wider Temple of Heaven system, where emperors performed sacrifices to maintain cosmic harmony.
To complete the celestial triad, annex shrines honored solar and lunar forces: the Temple of the Sun (incliuding planets and even the stars of the big dipper) in the east and the Temple of the Moon in the west.
Together, these sites formed a sacred map of the heavens projected onto Beijing’s ground plan.
The emperor’s authority thus depended not only on governance but on precise astronomical alignment with cosmic order.

Forbidden City Sundials

Wanshun Pavilion in Jingshan Parc

Volcano Crater Hrossaborg (Iceland) - Apollo & Oblivion

During our trip through Iceland, we also visited the Hrossaborg Crater.

Hrossaborg Crater is a volcanic crater located in northeast Iceland, near Lake Mývatn. It’s actually an old tuff ring, formed by explosive volcanic activity, est 10.000 years ago, when magma came into contact with groundwater. The crater’s walls rise sharply and form a nearly perfect circle, giving it an otherworldly appearance—especially when seen from above or across the surrounding lava fields.

Because of its dramatic, barren landscape, Hrossaborg has been used as a filming location for several productions that wanted to capture a “moon-like” or alien environment.


Oblivion (2013) – The sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise used Hrossaborg as one of its key shooting locations. In the movie, it served as a backdrop for the scenes involving the base of operations on the desolate Earth. The stark volcanic terrain helped create the illusion of a post-apocalyptic world.

Apollo Connection – While not directly related to the Apollo missions, the resemblance of Iceland’s volcanic landscapes (including Hrossaborg and nearby regions like Askja and the Highlands) to the Moon’s surface led NASA to train Apollo astronauts in Iceland during the 1960s. They practiced geological fieldwork here to prepare for moon exploration.

Rainbow @Skogafoss

Beautifull waterfall Skogafoss (Iceland) with a nice rainbow.

Rainbow above volcano crater

> When walking around Volcano Crater @Selfoss Iceland a supernumerary rainbow showed up creating a nice view and picture.
>

Kerrville(Texas) Louise Hays Park Flooding

 

Louise Hays Park in Kerrville - July 4th 2025

Currently due to heavy rain (>250l/m2), Kerr county in central Texas is hit by severe floods. The Guadalupe river passes through the center of Kerrville and Louise Hays Park. We visited this Park last year in April to see the total solar eclipse. According the news a lot of areas are flooding including Louise Hays Park in central Kerrville. 

Wishing a lot of strength to the residents of Kerrville and, by extension, all of Texas.

Solar Eclipse in Louise Hays Park in Kerrville (April 2024)

Pictures of Solar Eclipse April 8 2024 in Kerrville Texas

Below my pictures of the Total Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024 taken in Kerrville Texas. For my report of the trip please see this link on my blog 

Equipment: used: 

Nikon D7500 with TLAPO80/480 f/6

Filters : Solar filter ND3.8 and UV/IR Cut

Setting : ISO100 

Diamant ring, Baily's bead and Prominences

Total Solar Eclipse Kerrville Texas - Report

Today, April 8, 2024 was the day we planned for... the solar eclipse. At half past four this morning we left San Antonio for Kerrville. The latest weather forecast  were no't good at all and we even had some droplets falling on the way to Kerrville.

We arrived at six o'clock and went straight to the parking lot..... and it closed. So we drove back for a couple of miles to stop at Starbucks for a coffee and muffin! At seven o'clock we drove back to the parking lot and took the shuttle bus to the recreation park "Louse Hays Park" in the middle of the city. 

Everything was ready for the Kerrville Eclipse Festival. The park was still empty when we arrived around a quarter to eight, but it was filling up by eleven o'clock up to 20.000 people. In the meantime, we had already met people from Seattle, Chile, Mexico, etc. Everyone was in a good mood and willing to have a chat. NASA was also present and provided the necessary explanation about the solar eclipse. Astronaut Reid Wiseman gave an interview. He was recently named commander of NASA's Artemis II mission to the moon. 

 Despite the cloudy sky, the sun regularly came through and we could enjoy the natural spectacle. Just as the sun completely disappeared behind the moon, the sky opened slightly, just enough to see the full solar eclipse. It remains an amazing phenomenon: it slowly gets colder and darker until it is as dark as night. As befits a festival, a group also came to sing: Judah and the lion. They played country/folk music and quite a few people stayed around to listen. Despite the clouds, it was still a successful eclipse.

After leaving the park we went back to San Antonio which took us 1 hour longer due to traffic jams.

We found out that a couple a days before the eclipcse,  Kerrville issued disaster declaration. 

First release of Solar Eclipse 2024 in Kerreville Texas

This is a first release of my pictures of the Solar Eclipse april 8,2024 @ Kerreville Texas. Due to high and later low clouds pictures are reworked. I could not make pictures of third and fourth contact due to low clouds. A more detailed report will follow later.

All pictures taken with TLAPO 80/480 f/6 and Nikon D7500 with solarfilter ND3.8 and IR/UV cut filter.