Circle Sky

It's a very extraordinary scene
To those who don't understand
But what you have seen you must believe
If you can, if you can
                                      -- Michael Nesmith

Coachwhip Canyon by moonlight. While the desert sleeps below, the sky turns above. This turning is normally beyond our senses, since we are trapped in the here and now. But the camera's eye, taking hours for a single blink, reveals the true pattern. The sky turns steadily, as it always has, star chasing star around the north celestial pole. Looked at this way, the north star is the center of the universe. Still, all is illusion. For it is the earth that turns, not the universe ... or is it?

Other passersby leave straighter tracks on the sky. The short bright streak to the lower right of the north star is either a meteor or an Iridium satellite flare, while further to the right are two long diagonal streaks left by passing planes.

Date: March 11, 2000
Time: 8:25 - 9:55 pm PST
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
Camera: Olympus OM-1 on fixed tripod
Film: Fuji Provia 100 slide
Focal length: 24 mm
Aperture: f/4
Exposure time: 90 minutes
Scanner: Nikon Coolscan LS-10E