Constellations. The maps of the Cosmos.
Shapes in the sky that point the way, they connect us near and far.
The constellations and nebulae help us find our way around the night sky.
The Big Dipper, Orion, Cassiopeia, Sagittarius, and Scorpius show me the sky helped by the Dark Horse Nebula, Rho Ophiuchi, and the Pleiades.
Image Name: Cassiopeia at Spruce Knob Lake. Cassiopeia is nestled between the pines at the other end of the Milky Way rainbow. This is the darkest sky I have ever seen in real life. I was so lucky to have a patch of clear sky to the North in July of 2022. The Milky Way core to the South was perfectly framed above a still lake, and completely blocked by clouds. Someday I will get back there and get that dream image. CLICK THE IMAGE FOR MORE STORY!
Image Name: Orion's Belt and the Frosty Pond. Sometimes clouds can enhance night photography. Light pollution bouncing off them lighting up the scene, but the Winter stars still strong enough for their shine to power through. This is Orion's belt dancing in the clouds above a freezing pond at a local quarry park in January 2023.
Image Name: Dreams above Grand Lake. This is the largest inland lake in Ohio. A great place to enjoy water activities and camping. The light pollution means it's not quite as nice for enjoying stars, but the colorful glow is magical in its own way. To the right of the golden glow of the Milky Way is Scorpius. Its red star, Antares, helps point the way to the Milky Way before the sky is dark enough to see it. If, in fact, you are lucky enough to see it with your naked eye.
Image Name: Orion the Winter soldier. He is so lovely to see when the Milky Way is hibernating. Here is Orion dancing in the clouds above the rocky tree scattered land of a quarry park. I love this place because the local government is so nice to let me go there during the night, and the landscape is so unique. Definatly not what we are used to in Ohio.
Image Name: Sky Horse Ground Horse. The Dark Horse leaps over the horse jump at a local horse/dog/glider park. Rho Ophiuchi is the cluster of stars off to the right above the tree. This is a 35mm vertical panorama. I love the juxtaposition of the horse head horse jump and the Dark Horse Nebula in the same image. I was lucky to catch this park when their outdoor lights were not working.
Image Name: The Big Dipper and the Lights of Love. A sea of stars mimicked above and below. The Big Dipper shining above, the Lights of Love shining below. And the trees standing sentinel for them all. The Lights of Love are solar powered lights people have placed at the graves of loved ones, and the ambiance they create is a wonder to behold. The first time I saw this vast sea of "ground stars" I was driving by to go see the stars at John Glenn Astronomy Park.
Image Name: Orion in the Mirror. Orion rising above a pond at Oakes Quarry Park. The night was calm, the air was still, the reflection was perfect. I love how the reflection helps you find the constellation in the stars above.
“I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”
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