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.
