Partick wrote:

How many frames did you stitch together to get the final product?

I took 6 frames to cover the 120 degs of apparent field in the panorama.  I used only 4 of the images in my primitive stitch effort.  I don't know who many Howard J used, but it also was probably 4.   Siegfried also sent me a version very similar in execution to Howard's.  The tough part is somehow getting the far left and right images remapped so they will align with the relatively flat two center images.  I have a panorama feature on my cheap camera.  I'll have to explore using that next time along with using a tripod.  That should obviate the need intensive image processing on the back end.  I am very grateful for the rescue of my hand-held images with the help provided here.     The guy on the far left side of the frame was part of group of Russian tourists at the overlook.  I was only American.  There also were two Austrian amateur filmakers and a Spainish group standing in the background off-camera.  Speaking of Photoshop reality verses objective reality, I also had the option of using one of Russian guys female traveling companions staring off into the sunset as the "scale person" for the shot, but did not have an image with a sufficently good exposure to be useable. http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/in/UpheavalUpLd/SANY0604.JPG  I believe the money shot for this impact crater would be on the next summer solstice.  The drainage valley to the northwest has a bearing of 296 degs from the salt intrusion at the center of the crater.  That corresponds to the setting azimuth of the Sun on the summer solstice (270 plus 23 1/2 degrees).  Next solstice sunset, the Sun will stream up the drainage canyon,  brightly illuminating the potash core surrounded by the darkened crater walls.    The best spot for such a shot would be on the end of the crater wall seen on the west or left side of the current panorama, using the slight rise at the end of the fin to block the direct western sun.  My original 2005 shot plan for this feature was to have a crescent Moon rising at either the northwest or northeast horizons just above the crater rims.  Still workin on that one. I mention these shot ideas here should anyone else be in the area and might want to take a stab at it. - Kurt