Nothing beats a beautiful spring day like a trip to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Just 30 mins away from downtown - nestled in Mary McDonalds woods – this well kept & curated garden, provides a deserved break to the Urban feel of Chicago. Are u tired of the concrete jungles, wanna breathe some fresh air – not tainted by pollution – just head down to Chicago Botanic Garden – a worthwhile place to get ur Zen back :) And did I say this is a lovely place to enjoy a sunset too …
As you would have read from the news, the new meteor shower – Camelopardalis - was expected to adorn the skies during the early morning of 5.24.2014. When I heard about this meteor shower, I was pretty existed. Time of the event being a weekend – check. Location – northern continental US – favorable. Clear skies – check. May be the stars just aligned for this :) Camelopardalis - I was wondering about the name, as it has been as long as the giraffe's neck, when I came across this ! The giraffe's species name, camelopardalis (camelopard), is derived from its early Roman name where it was thought of as a composite creature, described as having characteristics of both a camel and a leopard. The forecasted peak time for the meteor shower was from 1 –3 AM CST. It was not as much as hyped (~100 / hr), but the night was still clear and Milky way was magnificent. Around 4 AM, took out my flash light and started playing to get a star war style crisscross with the milky way. Just then the celestial gods decided to bless – look - a shooting start in the same direction my camera was positioned, as if to slice the Milky way. This was not one of the shooting star i saw in person. I was busy walking up & down and playing with the flash light. But I will definitely settle for this shot instead :) Lesson to self : Never given up, just go out and do what you like, you never know when the stars will align :) Note: Are you just getting started with night photography ? Do check out this article !