I recently decided to get some pictures of the night sky above Hob Hey Wood. The pictures were taken early evening so there's still some light in the sky, as well as the inevitable light pollution. I think the contrast between the close-by wood and far off stars works, however.
Humans live such fleeting lives that we measure time in days, months and years. The entire history of our species is merely a moment compared with the age of the universe. The two elements of this photograph, the stars and the wood, must experience time differently to us: they change little over millennia.
The stars are so far away that the light from them, travelling at 186,000 miles a SECOND can take many years to reach us. The light from some of the stars in this photo will have been travelling to us for 1,000 years.
Imagine, if we could go back in time 1,000 years and take a photograph, the image would look much the same. The night sky would be identical and our little wood would be there, too, albeit as part of the vast forests of Mara and Mondrem. Such are the timescales experienced by ancient woodland and the stars in the sky.
Consider this: if the human race were to disappear today, Earth would endure. However, in about 10,000 years, almost all trace of humanity would literally have crumbled into dust. The night sky would appear almost unchanged, looking down on a wood that thrives in the absence of humans.
Our group plays a small part in protecting and nurturing our little wood, so hopefully it will still be present for future generations to enjoy under both day and night skies.
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