Every summer, the Perseid Meteor shower is a treat for anyone delighted by the night sky. From late July to mid-August, the Perseids rain down shooting stars. The impressive sight is a creative minefield for astrophotographers, and one British photographer took things to a new level by pairing the event with a world-famous monument.
Josh Dury‘s iconic image of the Perseids and the Milky Way over Stonehenge is so impressive that NASA named it Astronomy Picture of the Day. This is not surprising, given that the photo makes the mysterious monument look even more magical. Dury's most popular image to date, it was something he'd envisioned capturing for many years.
“With the monument being a part of my life for a long time and English Heritage having supported me over the years, I saw this as a great opportunity to capture this image with the dramatic backdrop of the Milky Way,” he tells My Modern Met.
Dury took the photo on August 9 and then spent a day stitching together the 46 frames that make up the final image. The shooting stars have a slight curve, appearing to hug the Milky Way behind Stonehenge. NASA notes that meteors always come down in straight lines, so the curves are due to the wide-angle lens that Dury used in his astrophotography.
It took three hours of photography for Dury to get all the individual frames he needed for the final image. It's a photograph that he feels fits into the narrative of Stonehenge and its history.
“Somewhere so mystical and timeless, such as Stonehenge, connected through the ancient, cosmic firework display of the Perseids—created from some of the most ancient material of the Solar System,” he says when asked what part of the photo is the most satisfying for him.
“This image pays fitting tribute.”
He hopes the photograph will inspire others to start their own relationship with the cosmos and pick up their cameras to capture all they have to offer.
Josh Dury took advantage of the Perseid Meteor shower to take this photo of shooting stars over Stonehenge.
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My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Josh Dury.
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