day one hundred and twenty-seven - meteoric rise
Ever since I was a child, I’ve always loved space, and went out of my way to watch comets, meteor showers, eclipses, planetary alignments, and the like. The feeling of awe never gets old, but as I do, and in phases when my depression isn’t good, it can be hard to make the effort, particularly on cold nights.
So when the Eta Aquariid meteor shower was coming around, I had interest, but not the energy or enthusiasm to do anything about it. It sat like a stone in my shoe, just waiting for the date to pass so it could assimilate with the other stones of disappointment in my sole.
As the day wore on, I toyed with the idea of heading out somewhere to take photos… really it was an excuse to procrastinate, get out my camera gear and reorganise it.
As the night drew closer, I toyed with the needs for warmth and a cuppa… really it was a distraction, and a chance to play with my camping stoves and find my thermals.
All this toying and prep when I wasn’t in the headspace to go out, took away the excuses I may have when it was crunch time. So, in the wee small hours of the morning, I found myself in the dark, cold night, driving out to find somewhere to setup.
After a little while, I was setup, camera taking time-lapse shots, me with a fresh cuppa staring up into the night sky. Whilst it was cold, windy and isolated, it was also self-affirming, beautiful, and rewarding.
Here is one of the better of my images from the night though it still needs work, and whilst I saw quite a few meteors, this is the only photo to capture one.
From The Pines towards Bellbridge, Hume Dam 5:46am 6/5/2020
Fujufilm XT-20, Samyang 12mm f/2.0 ISO 1000
© james ross - kiltographer
When I returned home, there was a wonderful sense of pride that I followed through, that it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. And sometimes, when you get practice doing it for things like this that don’t really matter, you’re better equipped for when it does.
Kilt of the day - a frost covered Campbell of Argyle tartan kilt and about 6 layers on my torso
Soundtrack of the day - What is a shooting star? - They Might Be Giants
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqBChyNyLhU
Link of the day - All you need to know: Eta Aquariid meteors - Bruce McClure - EarthSky
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-eta-aquarid-meteor-shower
