You could not say it was dark out but it was a moonless night and as dark as it could possibly get on any crystal clear night. Approaching the Lighthouse one would think it luminescent beams would drown out the stars of night sky but the Milky Way was not to be outdone. Even the vast Pacific Ocean seemed subdued by the endless points of starlight as gentle waves washed ashore on the rocks below the cliffs of the Point and the haze that normally lingers along the California coastline was feather light. The scope of scenery could not be overstated. From the smallest item in clear view was the towering Pigeon Point Lighthouse shining brightly, but still dwarfed by the massive Pacific Ocean, and going off the scale of comprehensible the ocean of stars that is the Milky Way Galaxy and even that dwarfed by the unseen Universe beyond. You have a lot of time to think of the scale of yourself while waiting for the seconds to pass between photos and you cannot help but be impressed by the scenery in front of you.

You may feel apart from all this but we are all stardust. Made up of the ash of stars long since gone and it’s comforting to know we are part of this scene, looking back at itself and seeing the wonder that is the universe in which we exist for but a mere brief existence. And this moment captured in time, is actually a meager 13 seconds to expose the image. 13 seconds seems short but in one aspect this image represents an eternity of time. At least in human terms.