STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK
PHOTOS BY NILS RIBI
In a year that was grossly out of whack, Sun Valley photographer Nils Ribi found that focusing on the Sun, the Moon, the planets and the stars kept him grounded, reminding him of just how small and insignificant we are in the larger scope of things.
Contemplating Sun Valley’s dark skies, which are part of the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve--America’s first dark sky reserve—also helped him remember how important it is to look out for the health of the globe we live on during a year that the climate crisis took an untimely back seat to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nils took pictures of Jupiter and Saturn in December when they became the “stars” of the sky, coming as close to one another as anyone on Earth has seen them for 800 years. And he even managed to note the timetable for the International Space Station in a year when not much else being penciled in on our calendars.
Enjoy as Nils shares some of his favorite photos taken during 2020—his New Year’s gift to you.