Under the blanket of night, two alien worlds meet on the coast of Vancouver Island: a colony of clonal intertidal organisms, and distant star systems glowing in the Milky Way. This meeting of “alien worlds” is a photo that I’ve had in mind for several years.
The coast of British Columbia is home to some remarkable intertidal life, such as these Aggregating Anemones. This species is found in clonal colonies, with all individuals being genetically identical to each other. They also support endosymbiotic algae which help produce oxygen for the intertidal environment. In the sky above, the moon can be seen setting on the horizon as unfathomably distant stars glisten and glow.
Capturing this image required several things to line up. First, I wanted to feature the Milky Way core, which is mostly easily photographed during the summer. Second, I needed a low tide to reveal intertidal life that is often hidden underwater. However, summer low tides rarely occur at night on the south coast of British Columbia. I also didn’t want a bright moon to interfere too much with the stars, which further narrowed down the possible dates to just a few nights. Finally, I would need clear skies. All these things finally came together during a recent adventure, which I timed as best as possible around the coinciding of these events.
The coast of British Columbia is home to some remarkable intertidal life, such as these Aggregating Anemones. This species is found in clonal colonies, with all individuals being genetically identical to each other. They also support endosymbiotic algae which help produce oxygen for the intertidal environment. In the sky above, the moon can be seen setting on the horizon as unfathomably distant stars glisten and glow.
Capturing this image required several things to line up. First, I wanted to feature the Milky Way core, which is mostly easily photographed during the summer. Second, I needed a low tide to reveal intertidal life that is often hidden underwater. However, summer low tides rarely occur at night on the south coast of British Columbia. I also didn’t want a bright moon to interfere too much with the stars, which further narrowed down the possible dates to just a few nights. Finally, I would need clear skies. All these things finally came together during a recent adventure, which I timed as best as possible around the coinciding of these events.