Star Trails over Mount Olympus in Greece

by Alexios Ntounas

Title

Star Trails over Mount Olympus in Greece

Artist

Alexios Ntounas

Medium

Photograph

Description

Mount Olympus (Olympos in Greek) is the highest mountain in Greece. Rising to 2917 meters at its summit, it is the second-tallest mountain in the Balkans. It is located in Pieria in northern Greece, comprising a natural boundary between the prefectures of Macedonia and Thessaly. Its 52 peaks oversee the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea.

In ancient Greek religion and mythology Mytikas, the highest peak, was the home of the 12 Olympian Gods! Also at Olympus's northern foot lived the nine Muses, patrons of the Fine Arts, daughters of Zeus and the Titanide Mnemosyne. Nowadays, more than 10.000 people enjoy the hike and climb at the top of Olympus mountain each year.

In this photo you can see this breathtaking mountain as it is seen from the city of Thessaloniki. In fact a few kilometers outside of Thessaloniki. That evening I was planning to take a photo of the mountain’s silhouette. The sun sets just behind this huge mountain range making it perfect for such a photo. The sunset came out with really vibrant red, orange, yellow and purple tones. The sea was also reflecting the last light of the day and had an amazing red hue. A few houses had started to turn on their lights, breaking the peach black color of the silhouette. You can clearly see Litochoro village located at the base of the mountain. At the left is Leptokarya and I think at the right is the city of Katerini.

The sky was absolutely clear and a few stars had started to appear. That’s when it crossed my mind to create some star trails above the mountain of the Gods! So, I set up my camera to take a few hundred photos. Since it started getting really cold outside, in fact it was the second day of January, I headed back into my car to stay warm. Here you can see the final result with the comet like falling stars above the mountain!

Being out in nature, watching a wonderful sunset and then a starry night sky is always relaxing, at least for me! It’s a great way to escape from the city noise and crowds and enjoy a serene moment just by myself.

Uploaded

January 15th, 2022

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