A Glimpse of Heaven

From the photographer: “The North Window of the Spectacle formation in Arches National Park, Utah. Since there was no moon this night, everything in front of me was solid black except for the opening in the rock, through which the night sky could be glimpsed. By using a small soft beamed LED flashlight, I could pan around and across the rock face during my 30 second exposure. In effect, painting the scene with a brush of light. Thank god for digital, because it gave me the opportunity to try different speeds of moving the light, as I could review the results of each attempt. This is a rather large opening in which dozens of people could easily stand shoulder to shoulder. The brush growing just to the right of center is probably about the same height as an adult. Behind the opening there was another more distant rock intruding into the space, blocking part of the distant sky, but it was too far away to adequately illuminate with my small light. Thankfully the night sky came through nicely. Not a soul shared this evening with me hiking out through the Windows Section in the dark. All too quiet, with the previous evening lost to overcast, but this night the desert sky was clear. This is what I was waiting for, and this is what I got that night. I imagine it could even be more beautiful in moon light. Maybe someday I can return, although it is a long way from my home in Alaska. So much to see, and never enough time.”