​One of the things that we love the most about the outback is the clear night skies that allow you to see the moon and dramatic star scenes that are not visible from most locations due to light pollution. Many people try to capture the beauty of these sights, but in our opinion, few are as successful as Giorgia Hofer, an Italian photographer that’s a member of the Cortina Astronomical Association.
 
One of her photos that we really like is “Lunar Curve”, which shows the position and phases of the moon over 28 days. 

​Here’s a video showing some of Giorgia's beautiful work; “Starry Nights in the Dolomites”:

If you want to see more of her spectacular nighttime photos, here are direct links to Giorgia’s website:
 
        - Nightscapes: https://www.giorgiahoferphotography.com/nightscapes
 
        - Moon: https://www.giorgiahoferphotography.com/moon
 
        - Astrophotography: https://www.giorgiahoferphotography.com/astrophoto
​

Blog Post Update Note: This week we received a “Contact” note from Chris from Idaho that correctly pointed out that in our original blog post we had erroneously stated that Giorgia's “Lunar Curve” photo (which shows the position and phases of the moon over 28 days) was a composite of individual photos that were “taken from the same location at the same time of day”.
 
Chris correctly stated that “When viewing the sky at a particular time of day, roughly half of the moon phases will never be visible. For example, it is physically impossible for a third quarter moon to above the horizon between noon and midnight.”
 
Because of Chris’ comments we have corrected our initial post and thought that it would be a good idea to add some information about how to construct a moon phase photo similar to Giorgia Hofer’s - and how to take better nighttime photos of the moon.
 
To that end – here’s a video about making a moon phase panorama:

       How to make a Moon Phases Panorama (DSLR Lunar Photography)

And here are some other great information sources about shooting the moon:
 
1) Lunar Photography: How to Photograph the Moon
https://www.adorama.com/alc/lunar-photography-how-to-photograph-the-moon/
 
2) Ultimate Guide to Photographing the Moon
https://iceland-photo-tours.com/articles/photography-tutorials/ultimate-guide-to-photographing-the-moon
 
3) Moon Photography TUTORIAL Guide and Tips

This week we ran across an interesting article discussing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) new mathematical model which predicts a knot's stability; “A New Mathematical Model Predicts a Knot's Stability” 

To examine the issue MIT mathematicians and engineers developed a mathematical model that predicts how stable a knot is based on several key properties, including the number of crossings and the direction in which the rope segments twist as the knot is pulled tight. "Empirical knowledge refined over centuries has crystallized out what the best knots are," said Mathias Kolle, the Rockwell International Career Development Associate Professor at MIT. But what exactly makes one knot more stable than another has not been well-understood, until now. "And now the model shows why."
 
In comparing the diagrams of knots of various strengths, the researchers were able to identify general "counting rules," or characteristics that determine a knot's stability. Basically, a knot is stronger if it has more strand crossings, as well as more "twist fluctuations" - changes in the direction of rotation from one strand segment to another. For instance, if a fiber segment is rotated to the left at one crossing and rotated to the right at a neighboring crossing as a knot is pulled tight, this creates a twist fluctuation and thus opposing friction, which adds stability to a knot. If, however, the segment is rotated in the same direction at two neighboring crossing, there is no twist fluctuation, and the strand is more likely to rotate and slip, producing a weaker knot. They also found that a knot can be made stronger if it has more "circulations," which they define as a region in a knot where two parallel strands loop against each other in opposite directions, like a circular flow.
 
If you do any Camping, and to a lesser extent Hiking, then a working knowledge of the most commonly used knots is essential. Based on our years of experience the 10 knots that we think it is critical for you to absolutely know are:
 

• Square Knot
• Figure Eight Knot
• Clove Hitch
• Sheet Bend
• Bowline Knot
• Taut-Line Hitch
• Two Half Hitches
• Sheepshank
• Square Lash
• Shear Lash

 
The problem is that there’s actually a lot to remember, especially if a significant amount of time passes between you actually tying these knots. So we use two items to help our memory as needed, and to give us information on other knots too. The first is the Ultimate Survival Technologies (UST’s) “Learn & Live” Knots card which has instructions and illustrations on how to tie 11 commonly used knots. You can see the details on this card, and the other 5 credit card sized cards that we think are valuable to have, on our Hiking/Emergency Supplies page. 

​The second item that we use to help us with knot knowledge is the “Knots 3D” app. What a great tool this is!  The $4.99 standalone app (i.e. no internet required) by Nynix is worth every penny since it shows you in detail how to tie 135 knots. 

The app includes the following information on each knot: best uses, other names that the knot is also known as, related knots, “Ashley Book of Knots” (ABOK) number, classification, structure, strength and reliability and a 3D animated video showing the knot being tied. In addition, the app allows you to:

• Browse by knots by category (e.g. boating, camping, climbing, fishing, pioneering, scouting, fire & rescue, etc.,) or search by name, common synonym or ABOK #.
• Show knots in both landscape and portrait modes - as well as full screen (Zoom in on a knot to see greater detail).
• Watch knots tie themselves and pause or adjust the speed of the animation at any time
• Rotate knots in 360 degrees, 3D views to study them from any angle with a swipe of a finger.
• Interact with the knots on screen via multi-touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and swipe to tie/untie.

 
The Knots 3d app’s ability to rotate a knot to see the front, back and everything in-between is indispensable and provides interactivity you can't get from a knot book’s static photographs. You can get the app at the Apple Store, Google Play Store, or Amazon Store.

If you’re looking for other good information on knots used for camping, or survival, here are four good online articles that we recommend you take a look at:

5 Best Survival Knots – Strong Life Saving Knots You Need To Know
https://www.skilledsurvival.com/survival-knots/
 
Camping Knots: 6 Essential Knots Every Camper Needs to Know
https://coolofthewild.com/camping-knots/
 
The 7 Most Useful Survival Knots You Need to Know
https://www.primalsurvivor.net/survival-knots/
 
Essential Knots: How to Tie the 20 Knots You Need to Know
https://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/02/essential-knots-how-tie-20-knots-will-keep-you-alive/