I still can’t seem to get enough of these time lapse videos, especially when they show dramatic landscapes coupled with meteorological motion and astronomical beauty. And this one is especially amazing, so, for your Friday enjoyment: Landscapes, Volume 2.

[Make sure you have it set to HD and make it full screen! Turn up the volume, too.]

I think my favorite parts are when you see stars, yet the landscape is lit up and the sky is blue. How can that be?

It’s because of the Moon! Each frame of a nighttime time lapse is a several second exposure, so the stars show up, but the scattered light from the Moon is enough to make the sky blue (the same reason it’s blue during the day; scattered light from the Sun). It can also light up the landscape, making it look like day… until you notice those stars.

Photographer Dustin Farrell shot this in Arizona and Utah, using a Canon 5D2, a camera I’ve heard very good things about. The color balance is immaculate. Some day…

And if you noticed this is Volume 2, why then, here’s Volume 1. Gorgeous.

Tip o’ the lens cap to Max Bittle