My interest in astrophotography dates back to when I was a wee lad in the 7 – 9 year range and I happened across a grainy, fuzzy image of the magnificent Sombrero Galaxy in one of my astronomy books. If I recall correctly, the picture was captured on film through the historic 60 inch reflector atop Mt. Wilson in the San Gabriel mountains of California. That was it for me, one day I had to do that.
But life intervenes, department store telescopes on rickety wooden mounts get lost in attics, and childhood interests and hobbies fade. Like many aging boomers, however, these obsessions resurface later in life with some disposable income lying around; why do you think Lego sales are at an all- time high, and it isn’t the kiddies buying them.
What happened in my latent years was that technology made leaps and bounds and became affordable to the average JoLo looking to image these celestial gems from his or her back yard. In particular, imaging sensors and microchips digitized amateur astrophotography, allowing backyard astrophotographers to produce images better than the Sombrero photo that inspired me all those years ago. With modest equipment and healthy doses of persistence, determination and patience, I can finally say I can do dat.
Sure is a big universe out there!
Trifid Nebula (M20) in Sagittarius; July 26, 2014
The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7625) is formed by radiation from a young, bright star at its center; September 19, 2014
Jupiter, three of its largest moons, and a transit shadow of one of the moons
The galactic pair M81 and M82 in the far reaches of Ursa Major, the Great Bear; January 1, 2016
The face on spiral galaxy M100 and companions reside in the constellation Virgo the Virgin; February 18, 2015
The Veil Nebula is what remains long after a star goes supernova; July 26, 2014
The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237) would be larger than four side-by-side full moons, if visible to the naked eye; January 6, 2015
The Pleiades (M45) adorn the winter sky and mark the shoulder of Taurus the Bull; January 21, 2015
The Hubble has detected many protoplanetary discs in the vast star making machine known as the Great Orion Nebula (M42); January 2, 2016
Saturn is always stunning when viewed through a telescope, especially the first time
The iconic Horsehead Nebula (B33) is 1,500 light years from us in the direction of Orion the Hunter; February 6, 2015
The Horsehead, Flame and surrounding nebula through a Hα filter; January 7, 2015
The Whirlpool galaxy (M51) is ripping apart NGC 5195 in a close encounter; March 6, 2016
Named for its appearance at the beginning of each episode, the Outer Limits galaxy floats in space 28 million light years from Earth; November 4, 2015
Previously known as the Owl Cluster, now known as the ET cluster (NGC 457); September 9, 2014
Mars within a few days of closest approach in 2016
Jupiter and all four of its Galilean moons and another transit shadow
The Dumbbell Nebula is a shell of gas released by a dying star, similar in size to our sun; July 12, 2014
The Cocoon Nebula is a beautiful sight under dark skies through my 12 inch reflector; July 18, 2014
The Helix Nebula in Aquarius is another remnant of a dying star; November 2, 2015
M35 is a cluster of young, hot, blue stars; the denser NGC 2158 is made of older, yellow stars and is five times further away from us; January 15, 2015
Hickson 44 is a group of interacting galaxies in the direction of Leo the Lion; April 16, 2015
M106 is about 25 million light years from us, a supernova was observed in the galaxy in 2014; March 12, 2015
M82 has been pulled and tugged by a close encounter with M82 (see AP 4); January 6, 2016
The Elephant’s Trunk is part of a huge hydrogen cloud (IC 1396) in Cepheus the King; November 4, 2015
The beautiful Iris Nebula (NGC 7023), surrounded by dark nebulae, is also in Cepheus; October 28, 2014
Stately M81, going solo (see AP 4 and AP25); February 15, 2015
One of JoLo’s favorites, the thin, edge-on Needle Galaxy (NGC 4562); May 26, 2014
The aptly named Hamburger Galaxy (NGC 3628), one third of the Leo Triplet grouping; May 7, 2015