The Beauty of Binaries
28 Sep 2016IsraelZulu
I've recently discovered that photography, among other things, really helps to take a lot of the monotony out of exploration and makes an explorer's life much more interesting. It's not as if there's any shortage of amazing things to be seen regardless. But adding in the challenge of capturing that beauty in a way that conveys it well to those who might not be able to see it for themselves seems to bring an extra reward.Binary objects - stars, planets, and moons which share an orbit - seem to offer some especially unique opportunities. In the otherwise vast emptiness of space, it's a rather special moment when one can find two bodies so close together that you can actually make out details on one while parked on or near the other.
Most of the time, we find that everything except the thing we're closest to just looks like a speck in the sky. Stars are the most common exception, but even then they often still seem rather small when viewed from their nearest neighbor - usually able to be blotted out by a mere finger, or perhaps needing a whole hand, at arm's length.
With many binary systems however, the story is quite different. Stars lie next to each other like lovers in bed. Planets and moons stand together like brothers in the void. These are indeed some of the most awesome sights there are to see in the void.
Here's just a few of my recent favorites. These are all stars, mainly because catching planets and moons in the right spot seems to be a bit tricky (a story for another time). Hopefully I can add more variety in the future.
These two aren't exactly close, but they're not too far either.
This is, literally, exactly how I arrived in the system.
Once in awhile, you find there's three.
Even when they're farther apart, the view is still breathtaking.
Now and then, the blues will have their fun too.
Nothing lights up the night quite like a solid pair of blue-white lights.
Happy exploring, Commanders. Stay safe out there.