Pilgrimage of Light
When we look at far away galaxies, or when we lay hands on an ancient rock, we are sensing distant pasts. For instance, the light of galaxy NGC 3081 and the granite of Half Dome, Yosemite, coincidentally both take 85 million years to travel and form. Compressing this vast duration into a day, the human species’ 300,000-year presence will be merely 5 minutes. At the very end of this 5 minutes, you and I will exist for 0.1 second.
In this 0.1 second, we’ve designated Yosemite as a national park and put space telescopes in the sky. We are equipped to appreciate both wonders. But do we?
To depict this momentous and miraculous coexistence of the universe, Earth and people, I visit the terrestrial sites with a projector and a NASA archive, photographing while projecting the stars onto the landscapes. I pair the heavenly and Earthly by matching the duration for the light’s journey and the formation’s age, 85 million years in the previous example. Through Pilgrimage of Light, they unite with us in space and time.
All projected astronomical images are by NASA/ESA
On Projection
No commercially available projectors have the power and portability for the projection I envisioned. I therefore devised a projector by inverting the function of a 135mm film camera, placing a slide where the film used to be and backlighting it with a powerful flash. The light-gathering camera thus became a light-emitting projector, capable of projecting a-thousand-feet-wide images in bursts while another camera captures the landscapes overlaid with projections.
Setting up for projection at dusk at Capitol Reef. Photo by Olive Chen
M 104, the Sombrero Galaxy's light was emitted when the ancient Claron Lake dried up 35 million years ago, depositing the sediments that formed Bryce Canyon. The celestial and terrestrial oddities united through my projector. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Assisted by Olive Chen
The light of UGC 2885 on the Wingate Formation in Capitol Reef, both are over 200 millions old. NASA, ESA, and B. Holwerda (University of Louisville) Assisted by Olive Chen
The Carmel Sandstone that formed the Double Arch at Arches National Park and light of NGC 3314 took 150 million years to be with us today. NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and W. Keel (University of Alabama) Assisted by Olive Chen
The deities and animals carved by the Hisatsinom/Nengwoots on the sandstone walls of Capitol Reef and the light of Orion Nebula traveled over 1000 years, through time and space, to reach us today. Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto ( Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team Assisted by Olive Chen
The Chimney Rock formation at Capitol Reef was uplifted some 60 million years ago, when the light of NGC 1300 started its journey to us. NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Assisted by Olive Chen
Bands of K-Pg boundary marks the meteor strike, 65 million years ago at Yucatan Peninsula, which wiped out most of the dinosaurs. If there’s an advanced civilization in NGC 4038, 65 million light years away, that can observe Earth with a super telescope, they would see the drama of extinction unfold, right “now”. NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration. Acknowledgement: B. Whitmore ( Space Telescope Science Institute) and James Long (ESA/Hubble).
The igneous rocks at Big Bend were formed when the light of M101 we see now was emitted. European Space Agency & NASA
Veil Nebula NGC 6960, remnant of a supernova, is 2100 light years away from us. Now its image is projected on the famed General Sherman—the world's largest tree, a sequoia, that spouted about the time NGC 6960 emitted the light we see today. NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team
The famed Orion Nebula is the closest star-forming cloud to us, yet, its light still takes 1400 years to reach NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Meanwhile, White Sands’ gypsum sand dunes shaped, and reshaped. NASA, ESA, M. Robberto ( Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team Assisted by Olive Chen
The light from the Milky Way's closest and largest neighbor took 2.5 million years to travel to earth, meanwhile, Carlsbad Cavern had formed through uplift movement, and was decorating itself with formations from mineral-rich water drips. NASA/JPL-Caltech Assisted by Olive Chen
The shape and color of M101 we see today are over 20 million years old, the same age of Carlsbad Cavern since it was born from an uplifted ancient limestone. European Space Agency & NASA Assisted by Olive Chen
115 millions years ago, an Acrocanthosaurus splashed through mud in pursuit of a herd of Apatosaurus. The light of galaxy NGC 3318 emitted at the same time reaches us today. Through time and space, and the lenses of my camera and projector, they meet at Glen Rose, Texas. ESA/Hubble & NASA, ESO, R. J. Foley Assisted by Olive Chen
Half Dome at Yosemite valley was carved out by glaciers of multiple "ice ages", when the polar cap extended to the Sierras. The globular star cluster Liller 1, projected on the trees through my projector, emitted the light we see today 30,000 years ago during our last glacial period. ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Ferraro Assisted by Gustavo Solorzano
The granite of El Capitan was formed plutonically 95 million years ago, about the time when the light of NGC 7098 started to travel to us. Credit: ESO Assisted by Gustavo Solorzano
Pear Lake at Sequoia National Park was carved out by glacial movement some 2.5 million years ago, about the same time the light we see from Andromeda Galaxy, our Milky Way Galaxy’s neighbor, was emitted. NASA/JPL-Caltech
SMACS 0723 and Earth— When the 4.6 billion light years away cluster of thousands of galaxies emitted their light that we see today, Earth was born. This is the first James Webb image I've incorporated into Pilgrimage of Light. As stunning as it may be, I wish JWST do more within 4.6 billion light years in the future: further out there, I will find no match on this "young" planet of ours. NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI Assisted by Gustavo Solorzano
A cypress tree in a Louisianan swamp and Nebula M57, whose light took 2500 years to travel to Earth. Meanwhile, Mississippi River's deltaic evolution left behind swamps like this one. NASA, ESA, and C. Robert O’Dell (Vanderbilt University).
NGC 6302, a nebula whose light started its journey to us when Mississippi Delta was here 3800 years ago. Today, it's a swamp overgrown with cypress trees. NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
NGC 6320 and Cypress Swamp in Lousiana. NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
The veil-like Cygnus Loop nebula may appear silky, but it's actually an aftermath of a violent supernova explosion which took place 20,000 years ago. It's distance to us is 2500 light years. When Mississippi river passed through different tributaries, its light we see today was still on the way. ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Blair
NGC 1232 and K-Pg boundary at Big Bend. From a civilization in that 60-million-light-year-away galaxy, an alien with a super telescope would "now" see the Earth being struck by a meteor and its subsequent global climate change wiping out the planet's residents—dinosaurs. Credit: ESO Assisted by Marcia Chen
M51 and Cerro Castolon, both traveled 30 millions years through space and time to us, united last night for the first time under my projection. NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Assisted by Marcia Chen
Between Old Faithful's periodic eruptions, Saturn's light reaches Earth in one and a half hour. NASA, ESA & L. Lamy Assisted by Olive Chen
Liller 1 star cluster's light we see today started its journey 30,000 light years ago, when an ice age shaped Yellowstone's geothermal features like Morning Glory Pool. ESA/Hubble & NASA, F. Ferraro Assisted by Olive Chen
James Webb’s NGC 3324 and The South Rim— The cosmic cliffs of NGC 3324, portrayed by James Webb Space Telescope, is projected below Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Grand Canyon' 6000 feet of strata, carved out by The Colorado in the past 5 million years, span over 1.8 billion years of Earth's history. On top of it there is a stratum that is never mentioned by the geologists. It is the human stratum, seen here as the light from the Grand Canyon Village. All human activities are merely a thin membrane that haven't really registered much on Earth, and could vanish and leave little trace. NGC 3324 is a nursery for new born stars. The young stars emits strong radiation that "erodes" the interstellar gas, sculpting it into shapes of cliffs. It is a process of creation billions of times grander than Grand Canyon's. This should inform us our importance, or rather, the lack thereof, for this universe. Nebula image by NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
Bright Angel, Cartwheel and Grand Canyon Village— The Bright Angel Shale, the formation I stood on while making this projection, also on the slope at the lower part of the galaxy, is the 500 million years old strata of Grand Canyon. Cartwheel galaxy, at 500 million light years away, sports two unusual rings, both products of galaxy collision. On the rim, you can see artificial lights trying to blend in as stars. On the right it is the cluster from Grand Canyon Village. In the center, the lone light is from Yavapai Geology Museum. Galaxy image by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
The Colliding and The Missing— Arp-Madore 417-391, a pair of colliding galaxies 670 million light years away, can't be paired with any exposed strata at Grand Canyon. This is because of a geologic unconformity, when layers of sediments were eroded before newer sediments were deposited. Here at Grand Canyon it's called The Great Unconformity, in which over 200 million years of geologic history is missing. To pin point the unconformity, look to the upper part of the galaxy where the horizontally textured rock meets the rough and random looking rock below it. In a way, the oddities seem to be well matched. Galaxy image by ESA/Hubble & NASA, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, J. Dalcanton
NGC 6786, the larger galaxy on the right, is the aggressor that will eventually choke hold LEDA 62876, the smaller galaxy on the left. This intergalactic wrestling is not a live event, it took place 350 million years ago, when the Redwall limestone, on which I projected the galactic show, was about to form from sea creatures' shells. We, in our blink of a life time, are lucky to witness the extraterrestrial image arrived through the vast space and the oceanic formation uplifted and exposed as part of the Grand Canyon. Next to it is the bunk house of Havasupai Garden, where park ranger Kylie Cesar, technician Matt Snider and myself took shelter in harsh weather. The two kind folks assisted me in making this hardest projection I've ever attempted. The equipment, challenged by low temperature and rain, made the effort stomach-ulcer-worthy. Galactic image produced by NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Arp 273, a pair of interacting galaxies 300 million light years away, juxtaposed below the 270 millions years old rim of Grand Canyon. Galaxy image by NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Hikers' headlight, Saturn, Jupiter and Grand Canyon Village— Hiking up the last 3 miles of Bright Angel Trail requires stamina, and about 1.5 hours, the amount of time for light to travel from Saturn to Earth. The last section of switchbacks are the most strenuous and takes about 45 minutes, while the light from Jupiter makes its dash to Earth. When you attempt the ascent, imaging that you you racing with lights that come from these two giant planets. Planet images by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Grand Canyon Village, NGC 1300 and Arp 273— 300 million-light-year away Arp 273’s light was emitted when the Supai Group formation it’s projected on was deposited, layer by layer. Where we call the Grand Canyon today wouldn’t be a Canyon if the land wasn’t uplifted due to tectonic movement, between 70 to 50 million years ago, when the light of NGC 1300 started its journey to us. Above these, sits Grand Canyon village, whose 100+ year history is merely a 1.5 hour movie in a person’s lifetime. Galaxy images by Galaxy image by NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Death Valley's Plio-Pleistocene deposits and Westerlund 2 star cluster. NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team
The marbles at Mosaic canyon were metamorphosed from dolomite formed Precambrian, when the light of ARP-Madore 417-391 started its journey to us. ESA/Hubble & NASA, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, J. Dalcanton
SMACS 0723's image, photographed in Infrared by James Webb Space Telescope, is projected on the marble in Death Valley's Mosaic Canyon. The rock is dated to precambrian, the oldest geological era of Earth. Each of the colorful smudges in is a distant galaxy as grand as our own Milky Way, each of them emitted the light we see today, 4.6 thousand million years ago, when Earth was born. The bright stars with 6 or more spikes are not ones of these distant galaxies; they are "nearby" stars in the foreground of SMACS 0723. They are, rather, a signature of JWST: the 6 spikes are caused by its hexagonal mirrors. Hubble's bright stars, on the other hand, has 4 spikes. NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
NGC 2336 on Bisti Badlands, 100 million light years away, and 100 million years old. ESA/Hubble & NASA, V. Antoniou
NGC 7098 under Stone Wings at Bisti Badlands. Credit: ESO
Stone Wings, NGC 3314 and a busy sky at Bisti Badlands. NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and W. Keel (University of Alabama)
Pillars of Creations on Alien Throne at Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)