The Dish

Standing atop the radio telescope that gazes into the distant reaches of our universe, I was enveloped by a surreal experience that will forever be etched in my memory.
 
Over the prior year, I had become friends with the senior scientist during several visits to the observatory. I had inquired about the possibility of photographing the telescopes under the Milky Way at night, to which he kindly consented. When I arrived, he casually mentioned that he would even let me up inside the dish itself.
 
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be treated to a private tour of an instrument that so intimately communicates with the cosmos.
 
Moments before capturing this panoramic photograph, the telescope was busy gathering data on a supermassive black hole. At other times, it collects data on exploding stars and galaxies at the very edge of the universe, unraveling the mysteries of outer space in harmony with its five other arrays.
 
The telescope was temporarily shut down while I took this image, allowing me to marvel at this technological marvel as it stood silent against the backdrop of the magnificent Milky Way.