The Stars, The Moon and The Sun: in the NJ/NY area

Images of the Milky Way, the moon and the sun taken from the New Jersey and New York area. If we look out to the night sky, it is very easy to become mesmerized by its beauty. For centuries, the twinkling stars, the moon and the sun have fascinated people of all civilizations. We can’t help but feel connected to our universe and experience a wide range of emotions: from a sense of belonging (as we are all made of star dust), to feeling small but hopeful because it gives us a sense of clear perspective (our problems are insignificant too). The night sky also awakes in us a desire to learn and explore. The Milky Way is our home galaxy and according to a recent count, it has over 200 billion stars and it is only one galaxy among billions. The Stars, The Moon And The Sun in NJ/NY area book is part of Imma Barrera's photography and environmental project: "Under the night skies". The book covers local night images easily accessible from her home in Central New Jersey. Many people are not aware that it is possible to photograph the Milky Way galaxy in these areas despite the heavy light pollution and thus the goal of this book is to showcase the areas where it is still possible to see our galaxy with the naked eye on a clear crisp night when knowing where to look. The book also offers some basic tips on how to capture images like the ones included in this work. “Under the night skies” is a photography and environmental project to raise awareness about the importance of nature conservation efforts and in particular, protecting the night sky from light pollution. Preserving the night environment helps support human health and heritage and preserves wildlife habitats. Night photography offers a chance to capture and document scenes that few people see nowadays due to artificial light and air glow pollution and can be truly inspiring. Born in Barcelona Imma Barrera is a landscape and nature photographer based in Metuchen NJ. She is a biologist with a PhD degree in molecular biology and also a graduate of NY Institute of Photography and has exhibited her photography in a number of galleries worldwide winning several awards. One of her favorite subjects to photograph is the Milky Way and was selected as the 2019 Capitol Reef National Park's Artist-in-Residence for her night sky photography, In addition, she was shortlisted in the Landscape category of the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards - Professional competition with her series “Under the Night Sky”. She is involved in educational programs about photography and seminars to raise awareness about the need to protect our natural treasures. To see her work please visit her website www.imma.photo or follow her on instagram @imma.photo Read more