MY (PHOTOGRAPHIC) NEWS SECTION:

Welcome to my news photo-blog! Below there is a selection of images, related to my trips, work and other activities that I have carried out or participated in, either in Chile or abroad. All photographs have been taken by myself (© R. Demarco, 2014-2022), unless explicitly stated otherwise.

December 21st, 2020: An extremely unique moment in modern history: the extreme conjuction of Jupiter and Saturn, not seen by humans in the last 800 years. An event like this occurs once every 400 years. However, the last time it happened it was during day time. On December 21st, 2020, both planets could be seen apart from each other on the sky by only 1/10 of a degree, the equivalent of 1/5 of the Moon's angular diameter. Remember, this is just a projection effect. In reality, both planets were more than 700 million km apart in space. In the image, taken with my Nikon D7200 and a zoom lens at a focal length of 300mm (f/13), Jupiter is up and left with respect to Saturn. If you look very carfully, you can sort of see a hint for Suturn's rings. Given the low elevation of the pair with respect to the horizon, the atmospheric seeing prevented a better image quality.





December 14th, 2020: A sunny evening in Villarrica after a very clouded and rainy morning and afternoon. The Villarrica lake offers an ideal environment for flora, fauna, and people to develope a variety of activities, some necessary for life, some just for leisure. Among the birds that can commonly be seen around the Villarrica lake are Andean seagulls (3rd picture from top), Chimango caracaras (a.k.a. Tiuques; 4th picture from top), and Black-faced ibises (a.k.a. Bandurrias; 5th picture from top). The two photographs at the bottom were taken by Isabel Rivera. This was a very special day: a total solar eclipse cast its shadow over Villarrica around 1 PM local time. Unfortunately, the weather made it impossible to enjoy the solar Corona and the amazing show put up by the Sun and the Moon.





December 13th, 2020: The Villarrica volcano seen from the homonym city. Surrounded by forests (composed by endemic species) at its base, the slopes of volcanic soil, snow and ice converge at the summit located at 2,847 meters of elevation. The crater, seen in the image, displays a clear fumarole, an unequivocal sign of the ongoing activity of the mountain. In a geological timescale, Villarrica is in eruption since at least the 1500s. What we usually call eruptions have ocurred in 1963, 1964, 1971, 1972, and 2015. The volcano usually generates strombolian eruptions characterized by the ejection of incandescent pyroclasts and lava flows.





November 27th, 2020: A garden full of life. Plants, birds, and insects coexist in perfect armony at my backyard. A bumblebee enjoying the pollen offered by one of the flowers of my Indian mallow (top photograph), while a "Zorzal" takes a break under some ferns in a corner (bottom image).





November 21st, 2020: A bumblebee on final aproach to one of the flowers of the Indian mallow tree in my backyard. Another difficult-to-capture image, one of many attempts. The photograph was obtained with a focal length of 300mm (f/6.3) and an exposure of 1/250 of a second.





June 6th, 2020: yes, you are right. You are looking at the tongue of a hummingbird! The high contrast made it easier to observe, however, not necessarily easier to photograph. Hummingbirds use it to drink, to obtain nectar from flowers. The remarkable anatomical detail is that the tongue is long that when it is retracted it coils up inside the head of the bird, around the skull and eyes. The anatomical structure of the tongue makes it possible to absorb the the nectar via capillary action, helped by gravity (yes, note that hummingbirds tend to drink from below the flower; see photographs below) and because a hummingbird is able to flick its tongue into a flower up to 18 times a second! Amazing!





June 1st, 2020: an amazing hummingbird getting food from the tree in my backyard. Very hard to catch! The photographs were obtained with my Nikon D7200 and a 300mm zoom lens (f/5.6), shooting at a 1/1,250 of a second with an ISO of 800. The red flower is that of an Indian mallow or Abutilon tree. The distance to the subject was a couple of meters. These two images were selected among more than 70 shots.





May 24th, 2020: a "Zorzal" in my home's backyard.





February 4th, 2020: a beautiful day with gorgeous clouds on the way back from Villarrica to Concepción.





February 2nd, 2020: the second and last day of a wonderful trip to the mountain area of the lakes zone in the Araucania Region in Chile. The first 7 photographs, from top to bottom, were taken in the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve area. The two mountains portrayed in some of them are the Mocho (left) and Choshuenco volcanos. A cable car takes visitors to a neighbouring summit where people can enjoy a magnificent view of the overall landscape. The bottom two pictures were taken on the way back from Neltume to Villarrica. The one before last shows the beautiful silhouette of the Villarrica volcano, whereas the last image shows the impressive Lanín volcano, on the border between Chile and Argentina, seen from the Calafquén lake.





February 1st, 2020: A fascinating trip to the mountain area of the Araucania Region in Chile. Forests, lakes, rivers, and volcanoes shape the land giving it its exuberant beauty. In direction to Neltume, we drove in-between lakes and forests on a road known as "Circuito Siete Lagos", passing by pretty towns such as Choshuenco. From top to bottom, the pictures correspond to: forest in the vicinity of Choshuenco; the Panguipulli lake seen from the beach of Choshuenco; leaf and a kind of caterpillar at the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve; a walk into the forest at the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve; the "Salto del Puma" waterfall; and a view of the "Estero Quebrada Onda" from near the waterfall in direction to the joining point with the Truful river.





January 10th, 2020: Once again, and for one last time, the Symphonic Orchestra of the Universidad de Concepción and I got together to perform the successful "Estréllate con La Música". This time, it was on the university campus itself, where about 4,500 people enjoyed the outdoor show. This performance, preceded by a public talk by renowned astronomer José Maza, marked the start of the univerity's Summer School in celebration of its centennial. In the photograph, me (in NASA astronaut outfit) -the narrator- posing together with some of my good friends from the orchestra. From left to right: Francisco Nuñez (main conductor), Pamela Astorga (violinist), and Jaime Cofré (hornist and conductor). Photograph taken by Verónica Lamperti.