Forensics: photography and astronomy. Someone posted this picture...?

[Satan Claws]

The first thing to do is to look for any EXIF header information in the file. Many people take pictures with their iPhones and whatnot (some cameras collect geolocation through an external GPS or an internal unit); many people are THAT stupid/careless/ignorant with their privacy.

But it's late and I'm tired. Maybe I'll see it tomorrow if you're not up for it yourself. Good luck.

[GeoffG]

First, it's obvious from the positions of Alpha and Beta Centauri and the Southern Cross that this was taken from a location in the Southern Hemisphere. These are horizontal viewed from Florida, say, rather than vertical in this picture. This is only possible from a far southern latitude. I took a guess at Sydney Australia which looks quite good, based on the position of the South Celestial Pole. I "went" there in Starry Night, and was able to adjust the sky to pretty much match the photo. Impossible to say exactly when this was taken, because there are hundreds of combinations of date and time which produce identical results. One good match was August 21 at 8 p.m. local time. Of course, Sydney itself is ruled out because of the low amount of light pollution, but this latitude works well. Notice the Large Magellanic Cloud just to the left of the tree.

[GeoffG]

First, it's obvious from the positions of Alpha and Beta Centauri and the Southern Cross that this was taken from a location in the Southern Hemisphere. These are horizontal viewed from Florida, say, rather than vertical in this picture. This is only possible from a far southern latitude. I took a guess at Sydney Australia which looks quite good, based on the position of the South Celestial Pole. I "went" there in Starry Night, and was able to adjust the sky to pretty much match the photo. Impossible to say exactly when this was taken, because there are hundreds of combinations of date and time which produce identical results. One good match was August 21 at 8 p.m. local time. Of course, Sydney itself is ruled out because of the low amount of light pollution, but this latitude works well. Notice the Large Magellanic Cloud just to the left of the tree.

[Nyx]

It was taken in or around the Belanglo State forest (New South Wales Australia), Sometime after August of last year. You'll note the Andromeda galaxy in the lower left corner.

[CogitoErgoCogitoSum]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradchiplin/5627296852/

I was wondering, can you determine any information about the observation location or time?

The star pattern determines orientation. Orientation coupled with sunrise/sunset and key stars might determine azimuthal direction. The altitudes of key stars (or the inclination of the galaxy, perhaps) might imply a latitude line.

So on so forth.

Is this possible or am I fantasizing. What else can you see from the pic? How accurate can your calculations get?

Remember, you are on CSI and this photo is your only evidence. Whatdyado?

[Nyx]

It was taken in or around the Belanglo State forest (New South Wales Australia), Sometime after August of last year. You'll note the Andromeda galaxy in the lower left corner.