Eleventh Day of Christmas: Look to the Sky
Adrien Mauduit, French astrophotographer and cinematographer, specializes in producing unique and innovative time-lapse/real-time content. Filming locations for this gorgeous time-lapse film include La Palma (Spain), Tenerife (Spain), Grimsel Pass (Switzerland), Emosson (Switzerland), and Jura (France).
Here's some of the artist's statement for Galaxies, Vol. III:
"There’s something fascinating about our own home galaxy. Even if we still cannot look at it from above and gaze at the full span of its arms, the sideway view offers a quite a showdown. To me the central part of the milky way is the most spectacular sight of the night sky. It’s something you can clearly see with the naked eye when you are away from city lights. It’s a sight that really brings your down to Earth and lets you wonder at how small we are, while comforting you in the thought that you are part of this Earth and the Universe. I could gaze for hours at the central bulge and just contemplate its compelling beauty from where it rises till where it sets. From a photographic and scientific point of view, this part of the milky way is so interesting to capture and study because if our solar system is located in its suburbs, the downtown district of our home galaxy harbors billions upon billions of stars. They are so concentrated that the total light coming from them can be seen millions of light years away and really creates this halo of light visible when you take a picture of it, much like a fire blazing. However a thick blanket of dark hydrogen clouds shroud and block the complete view. You can even see these fine dark lanes with the naked eye and they really participate in making the whole picture something from another world. Of all of them the Pipe and Dark Horse nebulae are descending down the core obscuring the upper part of the central bulge. In addition to this celestial show many emission nebulae- reliques of previously exploded stars, pepper the disc. Among them the bright and colorful Lagoon nebula, the pink and blue Trifid nebula, the red Cat Paw, War and Peace and Prawn nebulae around Scorpius. Moreover many star clouds (like the Sagittarius star cloud) and other remarquable star clusters also participate in strewing this already full frame. Finally the closest stars (like Antares) and near planets visible during the time of shoot (Mars, Saturn, Jupiter) also give a sense of just how ridiculously big the distance between Earth the the core is."
It's time to look to the skies, friends. While so much of the Feast of Incarnation is earthy and within our grasp, the entire Gospel embraces the entire cosmos - all nations, all peoples, all the world.
Watch: Galaxies Vol. III: Voyage to the core
Read: Psalm 85, 87; Joshua 3:14—4:7; Ephesians 5:1-20; John 9:1-12,35-38
Pray: From Ephesians 5:20 (NEB)
"And in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ give thanks every day for everything to our God and Father."
Dear Father in heaven, accept our thanks today for all you allow us to learn and to receive from you. Help us, your children, to follow the Savior with a right spirit and with true understanding. Protect us from evil, from all the works of Satan. In our generation may we experience your rulership and your wonders. In the name of Jesus we pray, reveal yourself with power. May your will be done on earth as in heaven, that all may realize they are in your hands and that it is your will to set everything right. Be with us this night. Bless and strengthen us for all the work entrusted to us. Amen.
Do: Go outside and look at the stars.
{an excerpt from my post 12 Ways To Savor the 12 Days of Christmas}
Follow light like the journeying magi. Find every possible way to savor the beauty of light during the darkest time of the year. Light candles, build a fire, sit in the dark and look at your lit tree, visit a holiday light show in town, take a bath by candlelight, go outside and look at the stars.
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