I introduced the "Orbit" panoramic time lapse timer in my last blog post. The obvious follow up question is "Does it work?" After the first field test my enthusiastic answer is "It works well. Very well." Same time lapse deliciousness as my other time lapse timers at a slower rate of rotation because the "Orbit" is a two-hour timer rather than a one-hour timer (see "Related Resources," below). I think slower is better in this case.
A panoramic time lapse video was taken using my GoPro HERO4 Black action camera mounted on the "Orbit" rig. The camera was set for "Video" mode / "Time Lapse Video" submode at a resolution of 4K and an interval of two (2) seconds. Approximately 36 minutes of actual recording time resulted in 36 seconds of "raw" time lapse video, given the recording settings I use.
22 January 2026.
Afterward, the following panoramic composite images were taken using the "Camera" app on my Apple iPad mini 6, set for "Pano" mode.
The first image shows a nearly 360-degree view from my vantage point on the roof of the parking garage for the building where I live.
22 January 2026. Wider panoramic view. (16109 x 3754 pixels)
Sometimes I like my "misfires" as much as the wider panoramic composite images such as the one shown above.
22 January 2026. Narrower panoramic view. (8930 x 3778 pixels)
Quite a while ago I watched several YouTube videos that demonstrated how to make panoramic time lapse videos using an inexpensive "Orbit" two-hour mechanical hose watering timer. (See "Related Resources," below.)
I mounted the "Orbit" timer using parts made of PVC, as shown in the following annotated photos. The red numbers superimposed on the photos correspond to the item numbers in the section entitled "Parts List," below.
PVC mounted "Orbit" rig (annotated).
The PVC pipe is two (2) feet long and acts like a counterweight for the timer/camera rig. All of the PVC parts fit together snugly and securely without using PVC glue.
PVC mounted "Orbit" rig (annotated).
The next photo shows the dial face of the "Orbit" timer.
"Orbit" timer, showing dial face.
The following photo shows a GoPro flat adhesive mount that I placed temporarily on the dial face of the "Orbit" timer. Notice the adhesive mount covers the dial face. I'm hoping to find a better solution (less permanent) for mounting my GoPro action camera on the "Orbit" timer. (Please comment on this blog post if you have suggestions.)
PVC mounted "Orbit" rig (annotated).
The last photo shows the back of a GoPro flat adhesive mount that uses "3M VHB" peel-and-stick two-sided tape.
It's time to return to the routine in which every "Sky Lapse" blog post includes a panoramic composite image followed by a panoramic time lapse video.
The panoramic composite image was taken using the "Camera" app on my Apple iPad mini 6, set for "Pano" mode. The image shows a wide view along the horizon.
17 December 2025. Facing north. (15298 x 3633 pixels)
A little later during the same afternoon a panoramic time lapse video was taken using my GoPro HERO4 Black action camera set for "Video" mode / "Time Lapse Video" submode at a resolution of 4K and an interval of two (2) seconds. The camera was mounted in a fixed position, facing north-northwest in the first clip and facing south-southwest in the second clip.
17 December 2025
Related Resources
Altostratus (As) | International Cloud Atlas - World Meteorological Organization
The word "subsensory" means 'below the threshold of sensory perception.' Time lapse video recorded at 30 frames-per-second can contain sub-sensory imagery, such as the following examples from a recent time lapse of altostratus clouds captured on 17 December 2025 using my GoPro HERO4 Black action camera.
As you watch the video, can you see more than six jet airplanes that flew past the Sun? Probably not, but they're there! They're sub-sensory. I saw the airplanes when I used the left/right arrow keys to go back-and-forth through the video frame-by-frame; every plane is visible for several frames.
17 December 2025. Facing south-southwest.
Reagan National (DCA) is the airport nearest my home. My location is near the flight path of air traffic approaching and departing the airport, depending upon the wind direction. I saw more than six jet airplanes during the time I recorded the preceding time lapse video.
17 December 2025 | Elapsed time: 00:14
06. Jet airplane partially eclipses the Sun.
17 December 2025 | Elapsed time: 00:00 (less than 1 s)
01. Jet airplane plus large bird (lower-right corner).
I like the juxtaposition of a man-made bird and a natural bird in the preceding image. I saw the bird flying around in loops as the jet airplane moved from left-to-right across the sky. My good friend Mike Boatwright is a bird expert. Mike thinks the bird might be a Turkey Vulture.
Looks like a Turkey Vulture. They hold their wings uplifted like that and fly around in circles. Source Credit: Personal communication, Mike Boatwright.
17 December 2025 | Elapsed time: 00:02
02.
17 December 2025 | Elapsed time: 00:04
03.
17 December 2025 | Elapsed time: 00:08
04.
17 December 2025 | Elapsed time: 00:12
05.
The Backstory
The following iMovie features the first time lapse videos (two) I captured using my GoPro HERO4 Black action camera. The camera was set for "Video" mode / “Time Lapse Video” submode, using a resolution of 4K and an interval of one (1) second. The first video clip (00:28 s) is longer than the second clip (00:17).
27 April 2022. Facing east.
Notice the clouds are moving slowly from left-to-right across the screen; the jet airplanes are flying from right-to-left across the screen, since planes prefer to take off and land flying into the wind. Oh that's right -- you probably can't see the planes. Neither could I.
Post update: I watched the time lapse movie on a large screen monitor. Although I saw several planes in the sky (with my eyes) when I was outside, I don’t see them in the movie. That’s odd, because the camera was set to record every 1 s — more than long enough for a single plane to appear multiple times. Source Credit: GoPro Time Lapse Video: Richmond Highway (U.S. Route 1) - a blog post by Walter Sanford.
I saw the following sub-sensory images when I used the left/right arrow keys to go back-and-forth through the videos frame-by-frame.
In the shorter video segment, I saw a bird at 00:07, 00:10, and 00:11 seconds of elapsed time. A jet airplane is visible for several frames from 00:12 - 00:13 seconds of elapsed time. The images of the plane look hazy due to humidity in the air. Disclaimer: The elapsed times are for the original video clips. The equivalent times in my iMovie are different due to the addition of titles, transitions, etc.
27 April 2022 | Elapsed time: 00:12 - 00:13
01. Screenshot of a jet airplane.
27 April 2022 | Elapsed time: 00:12 - 00:13
02. Another screenshot of a jet airplane.
A large bird can be seen near the end of the longer video segment. Disclaimer: The elapsed time is for the original longer video clip. The equivalent time in my iMovie is different due to the addition of titles, transitions, etc.
