Gate to the Emperors Mountain

Night at Mount Tai (Tai Shan) in China. This is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai’an, in Shandong province. The city lights dominates the right side while the night becomes darker on the left, away from the city. Tai Shan is the most sacred mountain in China (traditionally one of the nation’s Five Great Mountains), where the emperors used to visit to pray for the country’s safety. It has been a place of worship for at least 3000 years and served as one of the most important ceremonial centers of China. Today thousands of people visit the mountain everyday, specially in the early morning to see the rising sun from the top of the mountain. In the background sky Sirius and stars of Orion are visible. The two brighter points are Jupiter, near the top, and Venus surrounded by an atmospheric corona.