Timelapse tour of natural wonders of the Southwest U.S. – spectacular!

Here’s a video I would like to use as a a warm-up, or prompt to a study of American geography.

Evosia Photography, the hangout of Henry Jun Wah Lee, has a short but spectacular tour of several sites in the American Southwest deserts — Arizona, California, Utah, and Navajoland — timelapse movies, usually shot at night with starry backgrounds.

He has set the photography against the music of a band named Conjure One, an edited version of their recording “Manic Star.”

Certainly there is copyright, at least a Creative Commons license — you should attribute this film to Mr. Lee and the music to Conjure One.

Can you identify these sites?  Can your students?  Can they map out a plan to visit these sites as one exercise?  Can you and your students identify any of the constellations on view? (List of sites, from Mr. Lee, below the fold.)

Have you, or your students, ever visited any of those sites, and gazed at the stars?  Why not?

2,912 looks

Sites in the film:

Scenes:
1. Silhouette of a Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park, California
2. Another silhouette of a Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park, California
3. West Mitten Butte, Monument Valley, Utah
4. West Mitten, East Mitten and Merrick Butte, Monument Valley, Utah
5. Grand Canyon under the full moon, Arizona
6. Moon setting at Sunrise at Grand Canyon, Arizona
7. Snowstorm after Sunrise at Monument Valley, Utah
8. On the Wildcat Trail. Wide angle shot of West Mitten, East Mitten and Merrick Butte, Monument Valley, Utah
9. West Mitten Butte, Monument Valley, Utah
10. The Tepees, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
11. Overlooking Blue Mesa, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
12. Noon time at West Mitten, East Mitten and Merrick Butte, Monument Valley, Utah
13. Sunrise, Joshua Tree National Park, California
14. Storm clouds over Sedona, Arizona
15. More Storm clouds over Sedona, Arizona
16. Sun rising, Joshua Tree National Park, California
17. Somewhere in Monument Valley’s 17 mile drive, Utah
18. The night sky above Canyon De Chelly, Arizona
19. Sun setting over Monument Valley, Utah
20. Spider Rock, Canyon De Chelly, Arizona
21. Sun setting, Joshua Tree National Park, California
22. Horseshoe Bend at Sunset, Page, Arizona
23. East Mitten, Monument Valley, Utah
24. Grand Canyon at Sunrise, Arizona
25. Along the White House Trail, Canyon De Chelly, Arizona
26. Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park, California