by Henry Bortman

Researchers from NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and several universities converged on Kelly Lake, British Columbia, in July 2011 to study carbonate structures, known as "microbialites," present on the lake bed. The group is exploring the lake with scuba divers and one-person submersibles. In this image, the barge from which the subs are launched, along with the two "chase" boats that track the subs' underwater movements, can be seen moving into position in preparation for launching the subs. In previous years, the group has explored another nearby lake, Pavilion Lake, which also contains microbialites. More information on the Pavilion Lake Research Project is available at www.pavilionlake.com. Thanks to Mike Pryor of Clinton, BC, for guiding me up the mountain on the east side of the lake to the vantage point from which this panorama was taken.

GigaPan Stitch version 1.0.0804 (Macintosh)
Panorama size: 454 megapixels (34168 x 13296 pixels)
Input images: 91 (13 columns by 7 rows)
Field of view: 133.1 degrees wide by 51.8 degrees high (top=26.3, bottom=-25.5)
Settings:
All default settings
Original image properties:
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon PowerShot G12
Image size: 3648x2736 (10.0 megapixels)
Capture time: 2011-07-19 10:44:31 - 2011-07-19 10:51:19
Aperture: f/8
Exposure time: 0.005
ISO: 100
Focal length (35mm equiv.): 142.3 mm
Digital zoom: off
White balance: Fixed
Exposure mode: Manual
Horizontal overlap: 24.1 to 40.8 percent
Vertical overlap: 33.8 to 42.9 percent
Computer stats: 6144 MB RAM, 2 CPUs
Total time 9:39 (6.4 seconds per picture)
Alignment: 2:49, Projection: 38 seconds, Blending: 6:12
(Preview finished in 4:16)