Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
During daylight hours, a look up in the sky might yield nothing but blue, the white of the clouds, and the brightness of the sun. Mixed in, yet invisible to our eyes is the original light show – the Perseids. Our worlds pass each other once a year during the summer, and on a clear night that’s away from available light and away from the moon, streaks of wonder fly by night.
It all began on a whim, the idea of photographing at night, the stars, and flashes of burning out comet debris sounded like a perfect combination. Under a canopy of stars looking down, our lenses point upwards trying to catch the contrast of Earth’s nature – trees and mountains, and the cosmos. Just one year ago during the first trip up the 5 freeway equipped with an iPhone for directions, we pulled over on the side of the highway at an elevation of around 3000 feet and began shooting aimlessly. The stars were huge and plentiful, and craning our necks and freezing at the same time, we were dwarfed.
The “astronography” gives us something to do. Some might think it’s like seeing ping ponging of light, but it’s much slower. Undoubtedly there are hundreds happening at once, but visible to us might be a one a minute. They cluster and at times it’s three, and then it’s silence. Another one or two, then more silence. It becomes a marathon of gazing and waiting for the powerful streak that lights up the sky. At times, there’s a color to them. It’s not just white. Sometimes, they’re bluish or more yellow. It happens once or twice a night and concludes in a split second and imprints a vapor trail in our minds. A camera capturing it makes it all better, especially for the “working man,” who can’t fathom the 40 degree cold and almost overnight hours.
(the top photo is a portion of the Milky Way Galaxy)