The Outpost
by Ralf Rohner
Title
The Outpost
Artist
Ralf Rohner
Medium
Photograph
Description
On a rocky summit of an icy planet sits a remote research outpost. This frozen world orbits a inconspicuous star in a minor arm of a giant barred spiral galaxy.
Named after a mythical creature of an ancient culture that once dominated the planet, this scientific outpost is called the Sphinx. The Spinx is mythicized to have mercilessly killed those who couldn't answer her riddle.
The Sphinx station has a prime view on one of the galaxies major star forming regions, named after another mythological figure, a giant hunter. Not all scientific riddles within the hunter are solved yet, but fortunately the Sphinx hasn't killed any scientists so far.
The thin atmosphere of the planet at this high altitude location contains enough water to form clouds, which shroud the observatory in freezing fog about 40% of the time. If the clouds part, the hunter's giant molecular clouds of ionized hydrogen are lighting up the sky.
I had the opportunity to visit the Sphinx outpost in September for a night of astrophotography. After a sternous night, I was happy that both the planet and the mythical creatures had shown mercy. The hunter had made its appearance and I escaped this stunning place without getting killed by lack of oxygen, the cold or the wrath of the Sphinx.
Uploaded
November 15th, 2021
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for The Outpost. Click here to post the first comment.