July 10 – October 8, 2023
My father used a sextant for celestial navigation on aircraft carriers in the Navy and on family sailing trips. He taught me to see the constellation pictures, stellar landmarks, and stories in the stars. I’ve loved looking at the night sky all my life. As a child I would lie on the grass, or on a snowbank, and look up into the darkness and wonder what was out there; willing myself with all my might to visit the cosmos – hearing the siren song that has called humanity to look to the heavens since the dawn of time.
World issues, politics, relationships, and even my daily routine, fall into perspective against the awesome spectacles in our own galaxy and the universe beyond. I am small and insignificant yet privileged to see and share these wonders.
Using my telescope as a lens, I capture the ancient light of things that are unimaginably old, unfathomably distant, and incomprehensibly vast. They are at the same time delicate and extremely violent; still, and yet constantly changing. Being born, living, and dying at a cadence as slow as they are vast, stars, nebulae, and galaxies echo the terrestrial creation we see around us.
Long exposure photography is the only way we can experience these awe-inspiring celestial scenes. Each final photograph is constructed from individual images captured over many tens of hours. It’s not unusual for the final photograph to contain 100 or more frames. In these images, there is art in the science, and science in the art.
About Marsha Wilcox
The intricate beauty in the universe around us, from a droplet on an autumnal branch to the awe-inspiring patterns and colors in nebulae and galaxies fascinate me.
A course in Night Photography introduced me to the nuances of light and color after the sun sets. In addition to urban landscapes, we photographed the grand Milky Way. The allure of looking deeper into the night sky called me. Using telescopes, dedicated astronomy cameras, and specialized filters, I am able to image ancient light, things unseen with the naked eye.
On clear, calm, nights when the moon is dim, I wheel my telescope out to image the universe. It’s not unusual for neighbors to stop by; it is a privilege to share the night sky with them.
A retired epidemiologist, I also hold an MPS in Digital Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York. I usually image the night sky outside of Boston in the company of three wonderful Golden Retrievers.
To see more of Marsha Wilcox‘s work, see her website.
