I have always been interested in the night sky, even from a young lad looking up into the heavens. You cannot help but wonder and be curious about what you see. Is there life out there? Are there planets orbiting those distant stars?
When I was younger, I would often look up at the night sky and just wonder. Science and exploration have since discovered incredible things. I remember that in 1986, Voyager 2 reached Uranus and revealed its fascinating moons, rings, and this strange distant world. Halley’s Comet was another great inspiration that same year. These moments helped spark my interest in astronomy.
Although I have always been interested in science and astronomy, that curiosity eventually led me to getting my very first telescope: a refractor straight from China. It was a horrible plastic red Tasco 50mm telescope that wobbled all over the place. Even so, it gave me fascinating views of the Moon, the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter.
A year later, I managed to upgrade to a 60mm metal blue telescope, again from China. This time it had a more robust alt-az mount and tripod, and a significant upgrade. I still remember first seeing the Ring Nebula: a grey, smoky halo in the eyepiece.
But the one thing that always eluded me was the beautiful photographs I had seen as a child of the Orion Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula. I remember pointing my telescope at the stars around the area where the Horsehead Nebula was known to be, knowing it was there, but also knowing my eyes and equipment were simply not good enough to see it.
Of course, time moved on. Family commitments came along, and I became very much an armchair astronomer, reading about astronomy rather than actively observing. Astrophotography always felt like an expensive pursuit, something reserved only for professionals.
Then came the smart telescope, This re-engaged me with the hobby once again. I remember thinking, “Wow, I can now take photographs of distant deep-sky objects from my own garden.” The Seestar S50 was the gateway drug, here you will find my first images, I have since upgrade to a full astro rig
This website is my journey from that humble smart telescope to using more sophisticated equipment. Realistically, I am now probably taking better photographs than the ones I used to admire in magazines 40 years ago.
I have made mistakes along the way, and I hope to share them with you. I hope you find this website educational, useful, and encouraging.
This is my corner of the internet. My exploration of the night sky.