A dark, grainy image shows a towering pine tree at night with a hint of snow on the ground. The whole image is filled with star-like digital noise. In the foreground, a man and woman are stargazing while seated on a blanket inspired by the Psyche mission logo, featuring a single circle surrounded by four semicircles.

Stargazing / Daydreaming at Night (16 Psyche)

CAITLIN RICHARD

Major: BS Biological Sciences (Conservation Biology & Ecology), BS Anthropology

Genre/Medium: Mixed media digital collage using Adobe Photoshop and Blender (long exposure iPhone photography, 3D mockup, printer/scanner noise, digital textures).

About the Work: 

This piece is an experiment in real-life observation, digital alteration, and analog editing – playing with noise and feedback while trying to connect with something far away.

It combines iPhone photography, long exposure, 3D-modeled blanket designed after the Psyche mission logo, and distortion from a process of printing and scanning.

The image is intentionally dark and grainy, shaped by low-light conditions and further altered through scanning. The scanner introduces visual noise and feedback that spreads across the composition, creating a star-like effect.

In connection to the Psyche mission, the work honors the challenges of looking toward something distant and not fully known, where meaning is formed through partial information, distortion, and translation across media. This reminds me of the work involved in transmitting and decoding all the important information gathered by, and so essential to, space exploration.

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Date Added: 04-15-2026
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Caitlin Richard - Psyche Inspired

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