This was a fun, creative project. I attempted to create a top-view of Saturn, with stars in the background, using only matches, a crystal ball and its base, and some globs of sticky tack. I stuck a few matches on either side of the crystal ball, lit the matches, and spun the ball on its base. With a long exposure, I captured a ring effect as the matches spun and gradually burned closer to the ball. Afterwards, I took various individual photos of burning matches, and combined them together to give the impression of stars. The end result? Saturn and stars!
The title was taken from an excerpt of a poem by Anna Letitia Barbauld (1743-1825), titled "A Summer Evening's Meditation:"
"...One by one, the living eyes of heaven awake, quick kindling o'er the face of ether. One boundless blaze; ten thousand trembling fires, and dancing lustres, where the unsteady eye, restless and dazzled, wanders unconfined, o'er all this field of glories...."
More info: flickr.com
Saturn and the Un-match-able Fires of Heaven
