Livingston-based landscape astrophotographer Matt C. Jackson (Montana DarkStar Photography) has spent the last five years traveling around the United States exploring and capturing the beauty of the night. Through his work he hopes to make people excited about experiencing and protecting dark sky areas. To this end, his images often include bright colors and dramatic landscapes that invite viewers into his world.

While Jackson has captured images from locations around the country, most of his work is from Montana and northern Wyoming, where his journey into the night began. He captured his first nightscape image at the North Cottonwood Trailhead near Bozeman in September 2019, while he was working on his PhD in engineering from Montana State University. He knew after that first night that his trajectory in life had shifted. He has spent the last five years exploring the wonders that can only be witnessed under a dark night sky, and sharing his adventures with the world.

The cover image, “Transparency,” is the fourth installment in Jackson’s Dystopian Skies Series, which focuses on highlighting the changing relationships between humans, technology, and space. The image includes all of the satellites that passed in front of the camera in one hour. The benefits of the satellites in the image are well understood and generally accepted, but little consideration is given to the real and potential consequences of their presence. Each image in the Dystopian Skies series is paired with a different dystopian story to help push the viewer to consider potential pitfalls of our increasing dependence on technology. The images are not meant to vilify technology, but rather to make the viewer consider its wider implications.

Jackson recently received the Highly Commended award in the 2024 International Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest for his image “Big Brother is Watching You,” the second installment in the Dystopian Skies series. The contest is hosted by the Royal Museums Greenwich, and is the largest contest of its kind in the world. Along with the other winning images, his image is exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in England.