Star Party. September 2021

After a whole month of staying home, I feel completely stagnant; losing motivation to do work but can’t find enough motivation to change my routine.

The smoke finally cleared this weekend for a chance of Milky Way. With the coast too risky due to the lingering fog bank, we headed south to Pinnacles National Park.

Driving on the highway and looking at distant subjects and framing compositions, I felt a sense of calmness. Hiking through the chaparral, hearing the crickets chirp, feeling the warm breeze, and seeing sunset colors made me appreciate again what the great outdoors has to offer. 

As we were waiting the moon to set, we met other star gazers in the parking lot. A special thank you to Jim and Alex for letting us peer into their telescope setups. I saw the rings of Saturn, Jupiter and its orbiting moons, M22, and other star clusters. I felt like I was five years old again, peering through a telescope in my backyard at the moon and realizing how much I love astronomy.

I’m reminded again that inspiration is out there if you just go.