View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Makrem Larnaout traveled to the desert exterior Nefta, Tunisia, to the place Star Wars‘ mock metropolis of Mos Espa on Tatooine nonetheless resides. Right here, he captured the night time sky of Star Wars, together with these star trails, on August 11, 2023. Thanks, Makrem!
The night time sky of Star Wars
In 1997, the Star Wars franchise got here to a desert space close to Nefta, in western Tunisia, to assemble a village that was meant to look out of this world. Certainly, the city it constructed was Mos Espa, which is meant to be positioned on the planet of Tatooine. Within the movie, Mos Espa was the house of Anakin Skywalker. Actually, these buildings nonetheless stand within the desert right now, and vacationers are welcome to go to them. It’s possible you’ll keep in mind a few of the surroundings right here from Star Wars episodes one and two. That’s the place they filmed the pod race, market and slave quarters, amongst different scenes.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Makrem Larnaout in Tunisia captured this picture on August 11, 2023. Makrem wrote: “This expertise was like a fusion between actuality and dream, and each element was captured with a high quality that exceeded all expectations. Because the night time progressed, a tender sound of blattering was heard on occasion. This introduced the swish passage of a herd of dromedaries. The desert is a spot of religious resonance, and this photograph captures that spirit in each starburst. It was an thrilling problem to create this picture, however the end result was value each second. I hope this photograph transports you to that dream come true, if just for a second.” Thanks, Makrem!
Makrem’s Star Wars pictures in a 1-minute video
An astrophotographer’s go to to Tatooine
Astrophotographer Makrem Larnaout journeyed into this desert to seize the Star Wars surroundings beneath the night time sky. Makrem wrote:
August 11, 2023, will endlessly be etched in my reminiscence as a magical night time when the cosmos bowed earlier than the Star Wars village. This village, emblematic for all followers of the saga, was the sensible selection of George Lucas to convey his epic universe to life. Among the many numerous planets within the universe, the Tunisian desert has been the setting of selection for the interstellar adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo.
The story started nearly half a century in the past, in 1976, when the primary movie within the saga, titled A New Hope (Episode IV), started its cinematic journey in Tatooine. This desert metropolis [Nefta] on the sting of the nation hosted the start of this intergalactic journey. The very title of Tatooine evokes with a contact of mischief the truth of a desert metropolis. Identical to within the universe of Star Wars.
Could the drive be with them: Jedi, droids and hyperdrive ships have left their dazzling mark on these 200 kilometers of desert. Particularly within the area of Douz, the place the night time sky has became an online of twinkling stars. It reminds all dreamers that the road between actuality and fiction can typically blur, creating moments of surprise just like the one I lived on that starry night time within the Star Wars village.
Extra pictures from Tatooine/Tunisia
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Makrem Larnaout in Tunisia captured this picture on August 12, 2023. Makrem wrote: “Behold Luke Skywalker, the valiant Jedi, gazing upon the Milky Way with an air of profound contemplation. The twinkling stars resemble the remnants of a thousand tales, whereas the Pressure binds him to the universe surrounding him. Beneath the starry heavens, Luke finds solace and reference to the celebs which have guided his journey. The expanse of the galaxy solely mirrors the expanse of his quest and sacrifice. A poignant reminder that irrespective of the challenges we face, there stays a mystical tie between us and the infinite.” Thanks, Makrem!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Makrem Larnaout in Tunisia captured this picture on August 12, 2023. Makrem wrote: “Seizing an unbelievable alternative to breathe life into an iconic Star Wars second, captured by means of my lens. Luke, poised to cross the edge of his house, with the breathtaking Milky Way rising majestically within the backdrop. A blinding Perseid meteor streaks by means of the sky, guided by a cosmic future. This captured instantaneous unveils the magic of Tunisia, the backdrop that served the Star Wars universe. The Lars homestead, rooted in Tatooine’s sands, stood because the Lars household’s haven for 3 generations. A tribute to this cinematic legacy that continues to encourage us. The journey persists between fiction and actuality.” Thanks, Makrem!
A creative picture with the Perseids
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Makrem Larnaout in Tunisia took inventive license in capturing this picture on August 12, 2023. Markem wrote: “Perseid meteors gentle up the night time sky. The northern Milky Way offered the proper backdrop. And proper there, within the forefront, stood a Star Wars village nestled amidst the Nefta desert.” Thanks, Makrem!
Backside line: Astrophotographer Makrem Larnaout journeyed to the desert of Tunisia to seize the night time sky as seen from a film set for Star Wars. Get pleasure from his unbelievable pictures right here.
Kelly Kizer Whitt has been a science author specializing in astronomy for greater than 20 years. She started her profession at Astronomy Journal, and he or she has made common contributions to AstronomyToday and the Sierra Membership, amongst different retailers. Her youngsters’s image guide, Photo voltaic System Forecast, was printed in 2012. She has additionally written a younger grownup dystopian novel titled A Completely different Sky. When she just isn’t studying or writing about astronomy and staring up on the stars, she enjoys touring to the nationwide parks, creating crossword puzzles, operating, tennis, and paddleboarding. Kelly lives in Wisconsin.
