Night Light of the North Coast: Window to the Stars

A thin stretch of the Milky Way crosses a window through a windblown canopy of Douglas-fir trees. Mars is the brightest “star,” near the right edge. Photographed along the Mattole Road, Humboldt County, California. October 18, 2020.

A chance late night pit stop along the Mattole Road placed me perfectly beneath a spectacular star-studded window into the Cosmos, wonderfully framed by a tall stand of Douglas-fir trees. Though I’d set out to capture another image, it is this one from that evening that has captured me.

So rested we, my brother with me, beneath a skylight to the stars. The shape undulated continuously, its edges shifting in a wicked wind whipping crazily through the branches. The bright planet Mars winked in and out of view behind the swaying trees in the west, while across the east end a faint section of the Milky Way cut its path.

To read previous entries of “Night Light of the North Coast,” click on my name above the article. To keep abreast of my most current photography or purchase a print, visit and contact me at my website mindscapefx.com or follow me on Instagram at @david_wilson_mfx .