Geminid melodies

Qu Xiaofeng captured this month's astroimage spotlight while chasing the Geminid meteor shower — pausing to play guitar beneath the glow of Barnard's Loop as meteors streaked past overhead. | Published: August 21, 2026 The image was captured in Hongyuan, Sichuan, China, using a Nikon Z6 II with a Viltrox 16mm lens. The sky was exposed for 60 seconds and the foreground for 30 seconds, both at f/1.8 and ISO 2000. The meteors were captured in separate 8- to 10-second exposures at f/1.8 and ISO 12800. Credit: Qu Xiaofeng The image was captured in Hongyuan, Sichuan, China, using a Nikon Z6 II with a Viltrox 16mm lens. The sky was exposed for 60 seconds and the foreground for 30 seconds, both at f/1.8 and ISO 2000. The meteors were captured in separate 8- to 10-second exposures at f/1.8 and ISO 12800. Credit: Qu Xiaofeng The Geminid meteor shower in mid-December is one of the highlights of the observing year, with as many as 120 meteors visible per hour from a dark site. To capture them, Qu Xiaofeng set off for the grasslands of Hongyuan County in China’s northwest Sichuan province, known for its wide expanses at altitudes above 11,000 feet (3,400 meters). On Dec. 14, 2025, as the shower peaked, Qu set up a camera, pulled out a guitar, and took this self-portrait below the ruddy glow of Barnard’s Loop in Orion. The foreground and sky exposures were blended with frames capturing meteor trails emanating from the shower’s radiant in Gemini. And what song to play as the foreground shot was taken? Fittingly, Qu chose, “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky,” a pop ballad by the Beijing indie band Escape Plan about finding a guiding light after heartbreak and loss. Qu calls it “a perfect match for the quiet magic of stargazing and chasing meteor showers.” Mark Zastrow is Editor-in-Chief of Astronomy magazine. He holds masters degrees in astronomy and science journalism and has over a decade of experience covering science in the U.S. and in Asia.