Photo Shoot: Thinking time: Look up at the night sky, there's a lot going on

Steve Heaslip, Cape Cod Times
·2 min read

Troubled by repeated weekends of rain and winds with the arrival of fall — and shrinking daylight? Throw in TV ads showing two Band-Aids on the upper arm signaling America it is time for a flu shot and COVID booster — both at the same time — and it can be overwhelming. There is a lot to digest starting the tenth month of 2023, never mind the constant white noise of presidential politics.

New Yorker Staff Cartoonist Roz Chast wonders, “I don’t know how people live without taking time to let their thoughts run and see where they go.” A well-worded way to suggest it is way overdue for us all to slow down, and do a bit of daydreaming. Heading into shorter days, this can mean your thoughts may be running after dark.

In this November 2020 photo, the night sky spirals around the North Star, center, in an overnight dusk to dawn exposure of 11 hours on a crystal clear fall evening. As the days grow shorter, more darkness means more star gazing.
In this November 2020 photo, the night sky spirals around the North Star, center, in an overnight dusk to dawn exposure of 11 hours on a crystal clear fall evening. As the days grow shorter, more darkness means more star gazing.

A simple solution, look up. There is no better place than the beach at night to take your thoughts for a jog looking at the night sky. As a proud recipient of the Boy Scout astronomy merit badge, I should be able to identify many of the well-known constellations. Time has taken its toll and my only claim to fame now is finding the Big Dipper and the North Star. When winter arrives I can still spot Orion’s belt and his sword looking south. Yes, there are phone apps one can point in any direction for a quick ID. But if I am taking my thoughts for a walk and letting them wander on a starlit night, less is more.

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There is plenty of action to see up there in the night sky. At a Columbus Day weekend bonfire at Sandy Neck many years ago, all eyes were on the fire and kids toasting marshmallows until someone alerted us to look up and the Northern Lights were dancing overhead. This year on Labor Day there was a similar scene, with a more modern twist, marching across the southern sky, a string of lights in formation. A quick Google search revealed it was Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites crossing overhead.

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There is not much that can be done about coastal storms heading our way, but when the skies do clear above the autumnal skies, look up and let your mind go for a long run in the dark.

Steve Heaslip is the Times' chief photographer. Contact him at sheaslip@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cctphoto.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Longer nights mean more time for star gazing