The Scene: In the heart of the Shawnee National Forest, the ancient rock formations of Garden of the Gods rise like sentinels beneath a swirling night sky. Star trails arc in perfect concentric circles around Polaris, captured in long exposure as the Earth turns silently below. The sandstone bluffs and sculpted outcrops—weathered by wind and time—anchor the foreground in rugged stillness. Trees cling to the edges, their silhouettes etched against the faint glow of distant light on the horizon. It’s a moment where terrestrial permanence meets celestial motion.
 
Artistic Note: This image is a dialogue between the eternal and the ephemeral. The photographer frames the Garden’s iconic geology beneath the slow dance of stars, revealing the quiet majesty of southern Illinois’s most mythic landscape. The circular star trails evoke ritual and rhythm, while the stone formations speak of endurance and memory. By choosing this vantage, the artist transforms a beloved hiking destination into a cosmic amphitheater—where the heavens perform above the sculpted bones of the Earth.
 
2:3 Aspect Ratio