From Paradise Bay to the North Star
When I started editing this photo, I was planning on having an accompanying blog post that talked about how nice it would be if I could get this shot without the unsightly raised equipment of the World of Color fountains. It would have been futile lament, since they must be up during this time of the night in order to have the show function.
But as I was amplifying the saturation and fine-tuning the exposure, I noticed a curious thing--I had actually captured the Big Dipper constellation in my photo! This was a bit of a shock to me, since I'm used to seeing only the brightest stars at night in the city, and certainly not very many constellations (Orion is the most noteworthy that can be visible even in the city, and that's only during the winter). But I zoomed in, and there it was, the familiar shape, with the two stars forming the right side of the "pot" even pointing straight to Polaris, the North Star.
Enlarge the photo below and see if you can find these iconic stars. You might eye it immediately, or it may take a bit longer (the caption spoils the location). But I think it's pretty cool!
But as I was amplifying the saturation and fine-tuning the exposure, I noticed a curious thing--I had actually captured the Big Dipper constellation in my photo! This was a bit of a shock to me, since I'm used to seeing only the brightest stars at night in the city, and certainly not very many constellations (Orion is the most noteworthy that can be visible even in the city, and that's only during the winter). But I zoomed in, and there it was, the familiar shape, with the two stars forming the right side of the "pot" even pointing straight to Polaris, the North Star.
Enlarge the photo below and see if you can find these iconic stars. You might eye it immediately, or it may take a bit longer (the caption spoils the location). But I think it's pretty cool!
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| Can't find the Big Dipper or Polaris? Try the top left sector of the sky. |
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