©Marsha Wilcox, Pleiades: Sometimes called the “7-Sisters,” the Pleiades can be seen without a telescope in the fall and winter. This cluster of stars is traveling through and illuminating a celestial dust cloud.

Time check: circa 1575 CE (~450 years ago). The Renaissance was in full swing, Europeans were exploring and colonizing the Americas.

There is art in the science, and science in the art – Marsha Wilcox

When I first saw the heavenly work of Marsha Wilcox, this week’s editor of Astrophotography Week, I was profoundly moved by her photographs that capture an expanse of both time and light— ancient time and light, time that feels almost unfathomable in our fast-paced world. Experiencing these spectacular photographs this week feels like the perfect antidote to the travesties of our present moment on earth: politics, fires, floods, hurricanes, and more. These photographs remind us that the universe is vast, old, beautiful, and wondrous and we are but a small part of it. The universe will continue long after we are gone.

Wilcox gathers the ancient light of celestial objects through the use of telescopes as lenses, along with dedicated astronomy cameras and specialized filters. Through the patience of long-exposure photography, she reveals scenes invisible to the naked eye. In her images, there is art in the science, and science in the art — a harmonious blend that invites us to look both outward and inward, into the infinite and the eternal.

An interview with the artist follows.

Time check: circa 525 CE (~1,500 years ago).  Primarily rural, agrarian lifestyle.   Europe was in a period of decline after the fall of the Roman Empire. India was experiencing creativity, innovation, and cultural exchange. 

©Marsha Wilcox, Iris Nebula: The Iris is a place of quiet reflection. The gas and dust are illuminated by a bright star behind; one of only a few places in our night sky where this happens.

Marsha Wilcox is a photographic artist and educator based near Boston, Massachusetts.  Her work ranges from intricate detail in the terrestrial world to the ancient light of unimaginably old, unfathomably distant, and incomprehensibly vast nebulae and galaxies in the night sky.

She received an MPS from the School of Visual Arts in New York in photography.  Also a musician, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree, as well as master’s degrees in Special Education, Behavioral Research, Statistics, and Epidemiology.  She earned doctorates in Behavioral Research from Columbia University and in Epidemiology from Harvard. Her post-doctoral fellowship was in Psychiatric Genetics at Harvard Medical School.

Wilcox has exhibited widely in galleries, museums and other venues in New England and beyond including the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Fitchburg Art Museum, The Art Center, Three Columns Gallery at Harvard, Boston Convention Center, and the Foley Gallery in NYC.  Her work currently appears in the Big Picture Colorado 2025-27.  Her images have been published in magazines and books including Art Scope and a collection published by LensWork, among others.

Using telescopes as lenses with dedicated astronomy cameras and specialized filters, Wilcox collects the ancient light of celestial objects. Long exposure photography is the only way we can experience these scenes.  In these images, there is art in the science, and science in the art.

Wilcox received a first-place award in astrophotography in the Windows on the Universe exhibition at the Art Center.  Her work, “Ancient Light” was a Critical Mass finalist in 2023.

Instagram: @MarshaWilcox

Astrobin: Marsha Wilcox

Boogey Man: A collaboration with Andrea Girones and ©Marsha Wilcox, Dylan O’Donnell, photographed from 3 countries on 2 continents, this celestial creature is in the constellation Orion.

Ancient Light

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” Vincent van Gogh

My father used a sextant for celestial navigation on aircraft carriers in the Navy and on family sailing trips.  He taught me to see the constellation pictures, stellar landmarks, and stories in the stars.  I’ve loved looking at the night sky all my life.  As a child I would lie on the grass, or on a snowbank, and look up into the darkness and wonder what was out there, willing myself with all my might to visit the cosmos – hearing the siren song that has called humanity to look to the heavens since the dawn of time.

As sailors and travelers once used the celestial landscape to find their way, the night sky can still lead us to reflect on our humanity and place in the universe.  In this time of relentless news-cycles, political unrest and social turmoil, the majesty of the universe reminds me that although we are transient and insignificant, we are connected to something infinitely larger and timeless.  Stars, nebulae, and distant galaxies live their lives at a pace immune to human urgency.  In this I find peace … and perhaps even hope.

On clear, calm, nights when the moon is dim, I wheel my telescope out to image the universe from my home in Acton.  Using telescopes as lenses with dedicated astronomy cameras and specialized filters, I collect the ancient light of celestial objects invisible to the naked eye. These wonders are unimaginably old, unfathomably distant, and incomprehensibly vast.

Long exposure photography is the only way we can experience these awe-inspiring celestial scenes.  Each final photograph is constructed from individual images captured over many tens of hours.  It’s not unusual for the final photograph to contain 100 or more frames.

In these images, there is art in the science, and science in the art.

©Marsha WIlcox, Great Orion Nebula: Likely the most well-known nebula in the night sky, in Orion’s sword, this is an energetic stellar nursery

Tell us about your growing up and what brought you to photography.

I grew up with photography, both the art and technical aspects. My father’s mother often had a camera with her. Her images were more than snapshots. She’d fuss about the light and pose us just so. I still have many of her images, treasured informal family portraits. My mother’s father was also a photographer. He always had the latest technology and knew how to use it. Back in the day, he was one of the first to adopt the Polaroid instant camera. He followed advances in technology as they arrived. His were wonderful candid images of family life. I’ve had a camera as long as I can remember.

When the first litter of puppies arrived in my house, I switched to digital imaging. The technical advantages made it easier to explore other subjects and the nuances of light and color, in addition to following the antics of the pups.

©Marsha Wilcox, Horsehead and Flame: This is one of the only places I’ve photographed where the interstellar wind is evident. Look for the upward striations in the red area behind the horse’s head.

What drew you to make photographs of the night sky and the universe?

In collage, one night I went out to photograph the moon with a film camera. Out in the field at night … alone … on the ground with a camera pointed toward the sky. It took a minute to convince the town police I was actually making photographs. Not dissuaded, I took a course in night photography at the New England School of Photography when I could. The nuance of light, shadow, and color in cityscapes at night drew me in. Our night landscapes featured the Milky Way. There was more detail in our galaxy I wanted to see.

I began with a tracking mount for my DSLR and a long lens (400mm). My first image of the Great Orion Nebula left me breathless – and wanting to see more of the universe. I purchased a telescope and dedicated astronomy camera. It was quite a leap from a DSLR on a tracker to a large telescope with a dedicated astronomy camera on an equatorial mount … one step at a time, and I became a proficient beginner.

Now, I photograph almost exclusively using a dedicated monochrome astronomy
camera with broadband (red, green, blue, and luminance) and narrowband (hydrogen-
alpha, sulfur, and oxygen) filters. My lens is a telescope (~3,000mm, ~2,000mm, or ~550mm). My terrestrial images with a DSLR are usually fractions of a second. My astroimages are usually exceed 15 hours of exposure time, often 30 or more. Long exposures reveal the faint details and graceful patterns in gas and dust in nebulae, and the wonders in galaxies beyond our own.

©Marsha Wilcox, Veil Nebula: The whisps of the Veil are the remains of a violent star death nearly 10,000 years ago. Stars are born, live their lives, and die in, what for me is, an incomprehensible time scale.

You have such an expansive education that explores a variety of subjects, how does that inform the work you make?

On a practical level, learning how to learn, I guess. Proficiency in astrophotography requires knowledge of astronomy, photography, and the practical aspects of assembling and running a telescope – both the literal nuts and bolts (my least favorite part) and software to run the telescope and process the images.

On a philosophical level, I’ve come to believe that art and science are two sides of the same coin. Both explore the nuances of our world (and beyond). To be done well, both require imagination and creativity; and both are intended to be shared with others. In astrophotography, there is art in the science and science in the art.

©Marsha Wilcox, Messier 78 – Casper: Sometimes called, “Casper the friendly ghost,” this reflection nebula is tucked away in the constellation Orion.

The work is truly profound, what emotions do you experience in seeing ancient light?

Thanks for your kind words.

Awe and wonder – and a sense of insignificance and transience – and then
overwhelming gratitude for the privilege of experiencing these celestial scenes. I’m photographing things that are invisible to the naked eye. It’s difficult for me to understand how vast, how distant, and how old these objects are … and how
breathtakingly beautiful.

Patience reveals intricate detail and depth I would otherwise miss. There is something contemplative about expectant waiting for the unseen in the universe to come to light.

Time check: circa 1,000 BCE (~3,000 years ago). The ate Bronze Age, characterized by farming, metal tools, settled villages, and early forms of organized government.

©Marsha Wilcox, Christmas Tree: Found near Orion, in the constellation Monoceros, added color brings out the festive conifer

Does spirituality become part of the experience? 

For me, it does. These images show me the hand of a great creator, a creator far
beyond my comprehension, revealed in the creation, from the elegance in the human
genome (I speak as a scientist), to the beauty in the expanse of the universe. For me, this is not the hand of an impersonal force, but of a personal God who loves and cares enough to reveal himself through his creation. I am a Christian, but please don’t paint me with the brush of the Christian nationalists in the news. For me, Christianity is about compassion, love, and mercy.

In this time of relentless news-cycles, political unrest and social turmoil, the majesty of the universe reminds me that although we are transient and insignificant, we are connected to something infinitely larger and timeless. Stars, nebulae, and distant galaxies live their lives at a pace immune to human urgency. In this I find peace … and perhaps even hope.

©Marsha Wilcox, Flower But Nebula: This celestial flower is both emitting and reflecting light – a place of star birth

What do you want viewers to take away when they see the work?

First, that there is beauty in the universe. Some will go beyond that and move to the practical aspects of nebulae and distant galaxies. Precious are the moments when a viewer begins to contemplate what it means for them to be in this vast and beautiful universe – to see their life from a different perspective.

Time check: circa 6,000 BCE (~8,000 years ago). A shift from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled communities and farming, use of the wheel and early metallurgy.

©Marsha Wilcox, Soul Nebula: Hard to say what a soul really looks like. This nebula is a companion to the Heart Nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia and was likely named as such.

Tell us about your upcoming exhibition at Umbrella Arts Center.

The confluence of art, science, and philosophy has a rich history in Concord, MA. The
Umbrella Arts Center is a contemporary hub for these conversations. I’m privileged to have a solo exhibition in the Allie Kussin Main Gallery January through March, 2026.
The walls in the gallery will be dark to represent space.

Humanity has seen the awe and wonder of space since the dawn of time. The exhibit will include quotes from speakers across cultures and across time. The light in the images is ancient. A timeline will show events on our planet that were happening when the light left each object.

For example, the Pleiades is 444 light-years away. The light captured by my camera left the star cluster circa 1575. The Renaissance was in full swing, Europeans were exploring and colonizing distant lands then. Two interacting galaxies are 83 million light-years away. There were no humans on the planet 83M years ago. The continents were not yet in their current locations. The Earth was a very different place when the light left the galaxies. The exhibit will include videos showing how astroimages are made, and a timelapse of a visiting comet. Additionally, there will be single 35mm slide viewers suspended from the ceiling to give visitors the experience of looking up into the heavens with a telescope.

In these turbulent times, the arts are essential to remind us of our humanity and build community. “Ancient Light” at the Umbrella will provide a space for a glimpse of the awe of the universe in which we live, and reflection on our place in it.

©Marsha Wilcox, Wizard Nebula: The Wizard emerges out of the blackness in narrowband color. It, and the star cluster within, were discovered in 1787 by Caroline Herschel. If I could go back in time, I’d like to have tea with her.

Would you like to go into space?

First answer, no. It’s cold and dark, and everything is moving away from us. It would take longer to get back than it would to go out. Traveling at light speed, the things I’d like to see would take more than 1,000 years to reach … and I wouldn’t be able to see much color because our color vision at night is not very good.

However, the practicalities don’t stop me from dreaming about what it would be like to be caried on the interstellar winds, witness the brilliance of star birth from the graceful whisps of a nebula, or feel the explosive energy of a supernova.

©Marsha Wilcox, Bubble Nebula: In the constellation Cassiopeia, this celestial bubble is created by stellar wind passing over a hot star, unimaginably large – 10 lightyears across

©Marsha Wilcox, Trifid Nebula: One of my favorite images, the Trifid is a place both of quiet reflection and vigorous star birth.

©Marsha Wilcox, Pacman Nebula: In broadband color, this nebula is red. You may be able to imagine the Pacman from the fabled game of the same name. Here, the narrowband rendering allows greater depth and nuance.

Time check: circa 11,000 BCE (~13,000 years ago). A nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle predominated worldwide.

©Marsha Wilcox, Skull and Crossbones: This narrowband image is a collaboration with Kevin Morefield, photographed in the southern hemisphere. This colorful nebula is home to vigorous star birth.