Stardust

I've always had this crazy obsession with stars.

I'm not sure what it is about them that fascinates me.

Maybe it's that they're so far away.

And are just so beautiful.

Like jewelry for the night sky.

Living in Bombay, you don't get to see starry starry nights.
You can count the number of stars you see every night.

Unfortunately the twinkle doesn't get past the cloud of pollution.

Which is why I'm always excited to head out of town just to get a glimpse of a starry sky.

A couple of days ago, I got such a chance and decided it was time to finally try to capture it with my DLSR camera.
Because if I shot the night sky with my phone camera or a point and shoot, I would've got a beautiful black photo.

I tried every setting I knew and went through about half an hour of taking some pretty bad photos.

But that changed once I took some help from a friend and Google and got the correct instructions for photographing the night sky.

So here's what you do.

Set it on M [for Manual]

Keep the Shutter open for as long as possible. Mine was set for 30 seconds.

And the ISO should be high. I set it to 6400.

And voila!

Photo by me.

I did get a couple of grainy photos in the beginning (because of the high ISO) and for some reason I wasn't able to adjust the aperture (f). Clearly I still have a long way to go!

But I had so much fun just learning through the whole process.

I didn't have a tripod so I set it on tables or chairs or then tables and chairs.

Till I got tired of doing the whole balancing act and finally just set it flat on the ground with the lens pointing towards the sky.

Sometimes the simplest things work best.

I clicked pictures till my battery finally ran out at 2am.

And had it not run out, I could have been up till sunrise.

I don't know what it is about stars that fascinates me so much.

They're just so beautiful.

Like a freshly baked cake dusted with powdered sugar.

Or maybe it's the amazing fact that we're all made of the same stuff.

We are Stardust.

Photo by me.

I love to look at the stars. Look how they shine for me.

Because when you stare long enough everything twinkles.

But how did the Universe get it's spots?

How did we come into existence?

Why is the entire Universe dark? Even when it has so many stars to light it up.

How big is the universe?

Are we at the centre of it? And does everything revolve around us?

I look up at the sky and see all the constellations - Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Orion and Cassiopiea (those are the only ones I know).

And when you look at Ursa Major (Big Bear), you see a formation of stars that looks like a big question mark.

It is no wonder then that looking up at the sky leaves us full of questions.

So if you're looking for answers, keep looking at the sky.

Because as they say, 

it's all written in the stars.

Watch all the videos. It's worth you're time. They're pretty amazing!

Here's something for everyone!
Some jewelry, more jewelry and clothing for those who are so obsessed with constellations, they like to wear it.
And an iPhone & iPad App for stargazing enthusiasts.

And an iPad App for children that helps them learn about the Universe. It's always good to start early.