Quick, what’s your choice for the most moving artistic photograph ever made? Here’s mine. I can’t think of any other image that so deftly captures life, death, the universe and humanity’s struggle to find meaning among those three elements. Despite being a now timeless image, the photographer actually forgot the exact date he took this iconic picture and his shot at immortality. Later computer analysis of the moon’s position in the photo dated the vista at 4:05 p.m. on (appropriately) Halloween 1941. Thus was captured a single fleeting moment that could not be reproduced today. Or even afforded by most of us – official prints now cost over $50,000!
For those of us with a love of art, a cosmic outlook and somewhat more modest means, there’s Indigo Night, makers of personalized night sky posters. To quote from their website, “Give us a date (past or future) and a location (anywhere on Earth) and we’ll calculate the position of the stars, planets and moon, and then re-create that night sky on a beautiful, fine art poster. A detailed star map comes with the poster naming the major stars, constellations and planets shown. Each poster is one of a kind. We add a caption describing the sky. Add your own personal message for a truly individual gift – thoughtful and fun, for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries or any special occasion.”
Last Saturday was my wedding anniversary, and over dinner my beloved redhead presented me with an Indigo Night imprint for Huntsville, Alabama on July 24, 1993 – “A Lovely Night”. I’d never heard of such a thing before and was totally flabbergasted. It is VERY cool and stunningly beautiful – just like her. In particular, the workmanship of the print is absolutely superb. This print is getting framed ASAP and put straight up to a treasured spot on my wall. Never again will I have to pry off my wedding band in mid-July to check the exact date (23rd? 24th?) in its (also a surprise) inscription, “7-24-93 – A Lovely Day”! Thanks, Indigo Night!
I submitted this shot to the Lunar Picture of the Day a while ago. While taken by a robot (the Clementine lunar mission), I think it’s really very dramatic – the three brightest objects in the sky in one shot, on a background of stars. But, of course, it wasn’t taken from anywhere on Earth.
For those who are curious, the title of this story comes from the lyrics of a certain rapper and his recent remake of one of my favorite songs…