How close is close?

The weekly photo challenge this week is ‘close’, begging the questions, what kind of close (emotional, spatial, timewise etc.) and then, how close is close? Depends, it’s relative innit?

The excellent app Star Walk took this photo of the sky at my current location and time. Note the sun is still up so neither me nor the iphone camera can actually see all the objects in this picture, but I am sure they are there. [Does this count as a photochallenge? Hope so.] I asked Star Walk to identify SIRIUS which is our closest visible to the eye star – after the sun.

Only 8.6 lightyears away. CLOSE.

Maybe I’ll stay up tonight and take a proper picture, as it is actually possible to see the stars from here, unlike so many other places which are now light polluted. But than again, maybe I won’t as just looking at the stars brings me close to a different kind of closeness, my own small tiny self can look and feel close to the ineffable universe.

Tomorrow night there is a new moon, hopefully no clouds will cover it, I can make a wish.

Related articles

• Light pollution drowning out two thirds of stars (telegraph.co.uk)
• Where Have All the Stars Gone? (pbs.org)
• Light Pollution: A Disruption to the Rhythm of Nature (begreen.botw.org)
• Star Walk Astronomy App Is Set To Become Even More Beautiful (cultofmac.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Close – Près (frenchtwistedwoman.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge : Close (mystiic.wordpress.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Close ~ The Leaves (albadrln.wordpress.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Close (rutheh.com)
• Weekly Photo Challenge : Close ~ The Flowers (albadrln.wordpress.com)