This amazing image was taken by Dan Duriscoe, for the U.S. National Park Service. The 360-degree full-sky panorama is a composite of 30 images taken in Racetrack Playa in 2005. The image has been digitally processed and increasingly stretched at high altitudes to make it rectangular. A “sailing stone” is also seen in the foreground on the image. In the background is a majestic night sky, featuring thousands of stars and many constellations. The arch across the middle is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy.

Anecdote:
When I first discovered this image it was without reference and contained no information. I was spellbound because of it’s excellent balance and composition. So, I set out to discover the original source. Fortunately, I was able to do so. In the mean time, I posted a link to the image on Twitter. The link took off like wildfire and was repeatedly re-tweeted such that the image received 300 hits within 3 hours (as tracked by tr.im). That made me all the more determined to discover the photographer. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you liked this, check out Milky Way Rises over Texas.

More about this image:
NASA
Wikipedia

More about the “Night Sky”:
Wikipedia

Bernard Pierre Wolff died of AIDS in 1985 and will likely never assume the fame and credibility that his work deserves. His images of statues seem to be alive with human emotion. They are weighty with a kind of longing that resonates with the viewer. When he photographs people, we see often them juxtaposed against a non-living figure in such a way as to cause the viewer to compare life and non-life.   If there were such a category as existentialist photography, I think Wolff might be its champion.

I first discovered Bernard Pierre Wolff in the late 1980’s after I purchased Joy Division’s album “Closer”. I was captivated by the albums cover image.  Since then I have found Wolff’s work to have a certain darkness, but also a gentle beauty that is delicate and human.

More:
Bernard Pierre Wolff