This is last night’s very clear sky – but as seen through an out-of-focus camera. First of all I have to say it’s based on an award-winning picture by Steve Brown; all credit to him for thinking of the idea.
It is actually 24 pictures of the bright star Sirius, taken a few seconds apart. Photographed in-focus, Sirius is a brilliant white dot although to the naked eye it is often twinkling. The out-of-focus images reveal the varying colours of the star as seen through our atmosphere. They also reveal that my lens isn’t as clean as it might be; the amoeba-like circle in each dot is dust somewhere on or in the lens.