21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Light Cone Spacetime Sculpture over the Cornona Arch in Moab, Utah

In addition to exalting the noble mystery and beauty of the Utah desert landscape at night with unique light, the drone's light cone also celebrates Einstein's relativity. As explained in this Smithsonian article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-physicist-uses-drones-to-create-giant-light-cones-in-the-desert-180982250/ This Physicist Uses Drones to Create Giant Light Cones in the Desert Evoking a key concept in relativity, Elliot McGucken traces out hourglass-like shapes in the sky that stretch as high as a seven-story building. “The first thing you have to accomplish is a sense of beauty. You owe that to the viewer before you start giving them any sort of physics lecture,” he says. “I want people to see the desert landscape at night, and then see the light cone, and then start wondering, ‘What is that? What does it mean?’”

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 06.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Moab, Utah, United States of America
Copyright: © Elliot McGucken