the Sky Above

Shank Gym Observatory: Field Notes from the Dark

If you’ve ever run an overnight ultra, then you know: at some point, you look up. Maybe it’s boredom. Maybe it’s surrender. But usually—it’s awe. Because somewhere out there, above the aid stations and beyond the fog of fatigue, are the stars.

I’m certainly not an astrophysicist. I’m not even a good astrophotographer. But I’ve spent enough time in the dark, with a camera or a headlamp (sometimes both), wondering what I’m actually looking at. So I started digging in. Learning the constellations. Reading the charts. Figuring out how to capture just one good image of the Swan Nebula before sunrise.

This section is about that journey. It’s not polished. It’s not perfect. But it’s honest. Just like Spartan racing or trail running, astronomy rewards patience and humility. And just like geology, it’s one of those things you end up loving more because you’ll never master it.

So if you’ve ever looked up at 3:17 AM and said, “What the hell is that?” — you’re in the right place.

The Catalog

Each image and story below links to its own entry. Some were taken after races. Some on training trails. Some just because the sky was clear and I couldn’t sleep.

M17 – Omega Nebula (SGO-H001) → Captured under Bortle 6 skies at SGO.

The Moon - Luna - (SGO- H002) Individual frame capture under Bortle 6 skies at SGO

The Sun - (Sol) - (SGO-H003) Individual frame capture during daylight hours at SGO

Helix Nebula — (SGO-004) Planetary Nebula (NGC 7293 / Caldwell 63) - Captured under Bortle 6 skies at SGO.

Pelican Nebula - (MFO-001) - Star Nursery IC - 5070 captured in Mattanussen Virgiia

Andromeda Galaxy - (MFO-002) - Our closest galactic neighbor - M31 captured in Newberry South Carolina