The Unique Verse of the Universe: Time Lapse of the Cosmos Dancing Around Us

"'Beauty is truth, truth is beauty' wrote Keats. But nothing quite beats
that feeling when you get out of your seats
and explore the universe, its people, and the songs in the streets"
- (R Marrufo, freewriting exploration, 2/13/2012)

I admit that several of my main influences when I "create" fall under the subject broadly described as "The Universe." I'm talking about stars, planets, cosmic debris, science, astronomy, the music of the spheres, the poetry of the cosmos, etc.

As technology continues to become more advanced, we are able to slowly and gradually open just a bit more of what Blake called "the doors of perception."

Of my favorite free-time activities, one of the most profound and exhilarating (to me) is spending time in nature - whether it be camping, fishing, or hiking. Aside from just being able to "unwind" and ideally spend time away from the pressures of society, these activities allow me to observe and truly study nature in its many manifestations. I can become deeply contemplative,  meditative, and most interestingly, wildly creative. I feel a fire within me to share my feelings of exhilaration as I experience the Sublime. (Of course, I'm speaking in a Burkean sense, rather than referring to the popular band form Long Beach, CA).

Thanks to time-lapse video technology, I can view and experience in a unique way the movement of the cosmos as observed from earth. Photographer, Randy Halverson, has created a brillant and spectacular montage of footage he has collected over the past year. Halverson's work has even attracted the attention of Bear McCreary, who has written the scores for television series such as The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, and others.  McCreary has ended up contributing an original score for this video, "just for fun."

Please take the time to view this beautiful footage:


Temporal Distortion from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

You can view an extended HD cut of the video on the project's website: Dakotalapse

Jan 3-4 Meteor Shower might be most Impressive of 2012

2010 Quadrantid Shower (source: photosbykev 2011)

The first meteoric light show of the new year has promise to be the most impressive - at least that is what is being suggested by researchers at NASA.

A Quadrantids meteor shower is expected to occur within the wee hours of pre-dawn on the night between Jan 3-4. Most sources offer a caveat about the shower, noting that the peak of activity would only last about an hour, whereas past meteor showers would stretch out for several days.

The window to catch tonight's meteor shower may be brief, yes; however, the opportunity to catch a spectacular show might be worth the gamble. NASA suggests that a viewer can expect to see anywhere from "60-200 meteors per hour at the shower's peak" (nasa.gov).

If you marvel at the natural beauty of the cosmos or are just looking for a romantic late night, star-gazing session, you might want to consider viewing tonight's meteor shower. Here are some tips if you plan on going out tonight:

• Dress warmly if needed!
• Find a dark place away from city or street lights
• Lie on your back on a blanket, sleeping bag, or lawn chair, and look straight up, taking in as much of the sky as possible
• Allow your eyes about 30 minutes to "dark-adjust" so you can see the meteors
• Best viewing will be right after moonset, around 3 a.m. your local time, all the way until dawn

Alternatively, if your desire is to stay warm or you just happen to be awake, NASA has provided a live video feed, via Ustream, at the organization's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.



Happy Stargazing!

- Rich

Source: Quadrantids Will Create Brief, Beautiful Show on Jan. 3-4 (Nasa.gov)