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Photography Monthly interview on astrophotography

I had a lot of fun talking about astrophotography to Fiona Keating from Photography Monthly magazine a few weeks ago. The 4-page interview appears in the June issue of the magazine, which has just hit newsstands. In the interview I talk about some of the methods and equipment that can be used to take pictures of the night sky and the technical challenges astro imaging creates.

So if you’re thinking of getting into astrophotography, why not pick up a copy of the magazine and start snapping. And if you capture a great image, remember there’s a ‘best newcomer’ prize in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

Posted by  |  Tuesday, 29 May, 2012 | Categories: astronomy | Tags: , , | Leave A Comment »

The day I met MIRI

With MIRI in the clean room at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Video courtesy of Sky at Night Magazine. Remember to select the 720p HD option.

Earlier this month I travelled to Oxfordshire to film the James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) in its clean room at the famous Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. After several years of assembly and testing at RAL, MIRI is now ready to be flown to the US where it will join up with the other parts of the James Webb Space Telescope that are being put together at NASA. Getting to go inside the high-tech clean room was an incredible experience and one that I won’t forget for a very long while. But what’s most exciting for me is what the instrument will uncover when it first opens its eyes to the cosmos. For those revelations we’ll have to wait a few years yet.

  Filming MIRI in the clean room at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Posted by  |  Sunday, 20 May, 2012 | Categories: astronomy | Tags: , , | Leave A Comment »

AR1476 and the seething Sun

Prominences leaping from the limb of the Sun on 11 May 2012. Credit: Will Gater

It was hard to decide where on the Sun to look first yesterday with all the activity that was going on. AR1476 was, of course, taking centre stage but there were also numerous filaments scattered over the disc, while around the limb there were several impressive prominences.

I managed to capture a few pictures of what was going on, but sadly the seeing conditions were poor and so the detail in the images isn’t very good.

The picture above and the first two pictures below were taken with an Imaging Source DMK 21AU618.AS CCD camera (shooting at 60FPS), a 2x Barlow lens and a Coronado PST hydrogen-alpha filtered telescope. The last image was taken with the DMK 21AU618.AS on an ETX90EC OTA fitted with a white-light solar filter.

A large prominence extends above the solar limb. Credit: Will Gater
AR1476 as seen in hydrogen alpha light on 11 May 2012. Credit: Will Gater
AR1476 imaged with a white-light solar filter on 11 May 2012. Credit: Will Gater

A word of warning: never point an unfiltered telescope, unfiltered pair of binoculars etc. at the Sun. You will damage your eyes and almost certainly blind yourself. If you want to observe the Sun only use specialist certified solar filters that have been fitted correctly (and thoroughly checked) and that have been purchased from a reputable astronomical supplier. Be sure to follow any usage instructions carefully. Finderscopes etc. should also be filtered or removed.          

Posted by  |  Saturday, 12 May, 2012 | Categories: astronomy | Tags: , , | 1 Comment »

Solar imaging after the rain

With all this rain we’ve been having I was starting to wonder if we’d ever see the Sun again here in the UK. Thankfully, a few small gaps in the clouds last week did give me the chance to get the solar imaging kit out. The first two images below show the main active regions visible in hydrogen alpha light on the 6th May. These include AR1476 which had then only just appeared over the Sun’s limb. The third is from the 1st May.

The pictures were all taken using an Imaging Source DMK 21AU618.AS CCD camera (shooting at 60FPS), a 2x Barlow lens and a Coronado PST hydrogen-alpha filtered telescope.

As for AR1476, it has grown substantially since these pictures were taken. It now measures roughly 160,000km across according to Spaceweather.com. What’s more, as the Sun gets increasingly active in the run-up to solar maximum we can look forward to seeing more enormous sunspots and active regions, like AR1476, appearing on the Sun’s disc. As long as the clouds stay away that is.

A word of warning: never point an unfiltered telescope, unfiltered pair of binoculars etc. at the Sun. You will damage your eyes and almost certainly blind yourself. If you want to observe the Sun only use specialist certified solar filters that have been fitted correctly (and thoroughly checked) and that have been purchased from a reputable astronomical supplier. Be sure to follow any usage instructions carefully. Finderscopes etc. should also be filtered or removed.          

Posted by  |  Thursday, 10 May, 2012 | Categories: astronomy | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »

Watching a wandering star

Over the past few weeks it’s been hard to miss Venus shining away high in the west after sunset. At the end of March it was less than 3 degrees from the crescent Moon, while the first week of April saw Venus drifting past the Pleiades star cluster. Below I’ve collected together some pictures of the planet that I’ve taken recently; clicking on each one will take you to a larger version.

The wide-field pictures were all taken with a Canon 550D DSLR and a zoom lens, while the close-up (showing Venus’s phase) was captured with a Philips SPC900NC webcam and an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

Posted by  |  Saturday, 14 April, 2012 | Categories: astronomy | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment »

Two glittering planets meet the Earthshine lit Moon

Venus, Jupiter & the crescent Moon. (Click for full-size version) Credit: Will Gater

Jupiter, Venus and the crescent Moon are putting on a wonderful show in the west after sunset at the moment. The picture above shows the view last night with Jupiter and the Moon separated by roughly 3 degrees. A close-up of the view (below) shows the Moon and Jupiter as well as two of the Galilean satellites – Ganymede and Callisto. Tonight the view is no less spectacular with the brilliant Venus and the crescent Moon a little over 2 degrees apart. Pop out and see them if you can.

While you’re out, look out for the effect known as ‘Earthshine’. This is where sunlight reflected off the Earth’s bright cloud tops lights up the part of the Moon that isn’t directly lit by the Sun; it’s best seen when the Moon is a thin crescent, like it is at the moment. You can see Earthshine clearly illuminating the face of the Moon in the image below.

Jupiter, the crescent Moon & Earthshine. (Click for full-size version) Credit: Will Gater

Posted by  |  Monday, 26 March, 2012 | Categories: astronomy | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment »

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