mirjam

Te Komoki: Ancient Pa Under Ancient Stars

Te Komoki: Ancient Pa Under Ancient Stars

This historical landmark, otherwise known as Jacky's Peak in Little Huia, Auckland, is one of the best preserved pa's in the Waitakere Ranges, used in...
Read more

This historical landmark, otherwise known as Jacky's Peak in Little Huia, Auckland, is one of the best preserved pa's in the Waitakere Ranges, used in the past by Te Kawerau a Maki tribe inhabiting the area. Both this pa and the light of the stars by the time we see them are ancient. They are of the past, and yet seen and even preserved, by my camera in the present. This notion of preserving history has always fascinated me, as has astronomy. To combine the two in a single one hour long exposure was a great joy. The view is of the constellation Carina, and includes within it a large nebula and several open star clusters as they circled around the Southern Cross. The turquoise colour seen above the cloud on the left of the cone is the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy orbiting our Milky Way.
Read less