Dododreams

One of the things I miss living in a large city is the opportunity to go outside at night and really see the stars. I remember once when I was young, 8 or so, on a camping trip out to Teddy Roosevelt Park by Medora, North Dakota. I was lying on my back looking up at the crystalline night sky. The stars were so bright and the universe was so deep that there was a moment I felt like I was falling up into the night.

The last time I distinctly saw the Milky Way was a couple years ago, out in the desert. It took me a moment to recognize what I was seeing — was it a band of high clouds? No! The galactic center, so neat!

Here’s a time-lapse movie that shows the Milky Way sweeping by over the course of a night. It’s fascinating and beautiful, I think. I want to go there.

Time lapse video of night sky as it passes over the 2009 Texas Star Party in Fort Davis, Texas. The galactic core of Milky Way is brightly displayed. Images taken with 15mm fisheye lens.