Matterhorn Starscape

Matterhorn Starscape

It is 9:21 PM on a crystal clear October night on the Gornergrat (altitude: 3,100 meters/10,170 feet).

The last train on the Gornergrat rack railway departed for Zermatt almost 2-1/2 hours ago – which means the only eyes privileged to take in this vista belong to the guests and staff of the Kulmhotel 3100 and perhaps a passing nocturnal ibex or hawk.

The stars twinkle above the mighty Matterhorn and its massif, which can be seen in the moonlight, although not
as bright to the unassisted eye as they appear here. So, on this special night on the Gornergrat, I decided to
“assist” my eye by seeing how much light my camera and lens could collect from the massif. From the open window
of my room in the Kulmhotel, I made a series of time exposures. In this case, 32 seconds seemed to do it nicely.

Can you hear the quiet?

This image is available in archival gallery prints and as a custom printed Photo Note Card.

Photo, Narrative, and Design ©2011/2012 Steve Ember