Randy Halverson
is a fantastic astrophotographer, which is why I follow him on Google+;
I’m always amazed at the images he captures of the night sky.
He posted one recently
that really threw me for a moment, though. Certainly the beauty is
captivating, but on closer examination it revealed a prejudice of mine.
See for yourself how gorgeous it is:
The Moon setting into dappled waters...but what's wrong with this picture? Click to embiggen.
Image credit: Randy Halverson, used by permission
Image credit: Randy Halverson, used by permission
That is the Moon setting over the ocean, the water surface reflecting
it like a pylon made of light itself. The cloud just below the Moon is
dappled in light and shadow, and the symmetry of its curve is lovely to
behold.
I was gaping at this, and then the stars caught my attention. I know
my way around the sky, and immediately recognized Orion directly above
the Moon. But the orientation of the constellation confused me; it was
more than just on its side, it was starting to flip over, nearly
upside-down to my eye.
My first thought was, “Where the heck did he take this
shot?” And then I saw the picture caption—“Orion and Moon set on the
Indian Ocean”—and I laughed. Of course! I was seeing this picture
through my northern-hemisphere bias.
He took this shot on Mar. 17, 2013 near Kalbarri in Western
Australia, about 27° south of the Equator. From that location on our
spherical planet, things look different. I’m used to Orion oriented very
differently. From home, when Orion’s high over the southern horizon,
the legs are down and he stands upright. He moves left to right as I
face south.
But in the southern hemisphere it’s all wonky. He rises to the right
as you face north, is standing on his head when he’s high above the
northern horizon, and moves right to left.
That’s seriously weird to my borealic brain. I was in Australia a few
years ago, and the two things that totally freaked me out were seeing
Orion upside down, and the crescent Moon facing the wrong way at sunset.
When you’re looking at the same objects you always see, but essentially
upside-down compared to what you’re used to, things get all swapped and
weird. Left is right, up is down… but the stars still rise in the east
and set in the west. The whole Earth, at least, spins the same way.
Still, living on a round ball is distressing when you’re reminded of
it in this way. But it’s a great reminder that the Universe is the way
it is, and it’s our own ossified sensibilities that give us grief about
it. Once you shake that off, the depth of its beauty becomes even more
profound.
I've written about Randy's work many times; you can see more in these posts:
posted by Pieface @ 8:56 AM
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