There’s no view quite like the desert sky. One of my favorite things about living in Arizona is the state’s efforts to decrease light pollution. We lead the world in dark sky locations, with twenty areas across the state specially designated for preserving the ability to observe the night sky. Light pollution negatively affects so many aspects of life, including the reproductive health of animals, the life cycles of plants, and even the health of humans. My city, Tucson, and the surrounding county of Pima have made great efforts to reduce light pollution in and around the city. Thanks to these efforts, Saguaro National Park – which lies on the outskirts of the city – has officially been designated as an “Urban Night Sky Place” by the International Dark Sky Association, one of only nine of these places in the world.
This photo of the Sonoroan Desert showcases the majesty of the night sky. The ethereal feeling of the accompanying audio enhances that celestial grandeur. As the music plays, it transports you to a cool desert night among the saguaros. Imagine the view of the stars in the photo moving slowly as the earth rotates, allowing you to view each constellation’s beauty.
Hi Lauren. I have never been to Arizona or the desert so I will take your word on the lights and the pollution you wrote about. This is a nice image of a late night where you can see all the stars and the audio seems appropriate for the image. The audio reminds me of something in a movie you hear before or after something interesting happens. I can’t think of any other audio that would be more appropriate for the image. Great job on the layout for this assignment.
Lauren, I have personally never been to Arizona either but the way that you describe it to me along with the beautiful imagery and the ethereal background music used to amplify it is such wonderful storytelling. I agree with the audio enhancing the celestial grandeur of this wonderful cool desert night. Thank you for allowing me a chance to transport there, to be amongst the saguaros. Even if it is only in my imagination. Wonderful post!
Hi Lauren,
This image and audio transported me to a beautiful planetarium show. It was a great combination to create that serene, celestial mood. The image is beautiful, and I wish I could look up at night and see the stars like that.
How fortunate you are to be able to see the night sky with too much light pollution!
Hello Lauren! My first thought when you mentioned the dark sky reserves in Arizona, and connecting that with us recently refreshing on the rudiments of photography in class, was to ask whether you had done any photography of the night sky in your state. I knew someone in a photography class who took extremely long exposures of the starry sky on clear nights, and the images that resulted from it were amazing. The light of the stars traced themselves as the night went on and the stars changed position. We have a dark sky preserve in Northern Pennsylvania I’d love to visit!
Your selection of audio was great, especially for highlighting a side of Arizona (and the desert) that may not be the first impression people have of the region. When I think of the area, I imagine heat, warm colors, music that invokes that feeling, but this music is chilling although calming… and it reminds us of the true ecological diversity of the desert.