Callum Wingrove — Astrophotograher / Amateur astronomer

Doing anything for the first time is a step into the unknown, which can either be the start of a long and rewarding journey, or it can lead to a rapid realisation that it’s not for you! No matter how much you prepare, you are entering uncharted territory, and that is both thrilling and scary in equal measure.

Exploring the Universe via astrophotography is no different; it comprises a series of milestones, each marking a step in your journey through both the Cosmos and your own personal joy and satisfaction. The beauty comes from the fact you can travel back in time and through the depths of space without leaving home. By ‘home’ I mean Earth, as some astrophotography can only be achieved by leaving your actual home from time to time.

Before photography, there is always the first view through the eyepiece of a telescope, rewarding you with the craters of the Moon or the cloud belts of Jupiter, and the rings of Saturn. From these humble beginnings, you attach a camera for the first time. Your first photograph of the Moon or planets is a transcendent experience. This is the moment when you know there will be no going back. You have imaged something otherworldly and have bridged the gap between observation and tangible evidence. You will have overcome technical challenges and, for the first time, mastered some of the basics. You feel a new connection to the Cosmos and now you have an entire Universe to explore.

Beyond the planets, you have deep-sky targets, nebulae and galaxies. These require new technical hurdles to be overcome and more equipment for long exposure photography and different processing skills. Pointing your telescope at a nebula, often the Orion nebula as a first timer, you wait for the exposure to complete and the screen to refresh. It does and your mind is blown. You see gas and dust and stars and colour and all you can do is stare at this wonder in awe. The ancient Mayans thought that the Orion Nebula was the hub of creation and called it the Celestial Hearth. The flame from which everything was created. They didn’t have telescopes but looking at the detail in your first image you can see why they thought of it this way.

From these first steps you will continue to explore, adding new filters to better capture the intricate details, possibly venture into your first mono imaging setup, and learn new techniques to combine different wavelengths of light into colour and false colour images. You will add new lenses and telescopes to cover different focal lengths which reveal familiar targets in new levels of detail. It can seem as if you are seeing them again for the first time.

You may explore nightscape photography and capture the Milky Way. If you live in a city this means combining travel and astrophotography for the first time. This has challenges far from the comfort of your own home. I have had equipment confiscated by the military – though I eventually recovered it months later - and been stabbed by a cactus in the head, which I discovered has a surprisingly rich blood supply - and found myself not alone in a dark field, as animals inquisitively assessed my gear. The resulting images are worth every inconvenience. If, like me, you live in the Northern Hemisphere, it will be another first to visit the Southern Hemisphere to see a new sky with neighbouring companion galaxies and rich beautiful nebulae like Carina.

At some point you will have an image published in one of the astronomical magazines for the first time. You may get recognised on astronomy image sharing sites or even, whisper it, get recognised by NASA and receive an Apod. Knowing that others appreciate your work, just as you appreciate the work of others, is one of the reasons the astroimaging community is one of the friendliest and most welcoming communities you can be part of.
Years after that first view through the eyepiece, I still have ‘firsts’ to come, and I can’t wait!

Clear Skies!

Callum

Editor note: Callum is a fantastic astrophotographer and amateur astronomer from London. He is also a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Callum’s images are some of the best that I know of and his dedication and attention to detail is evident in his images and descriptions he uses to inform and educate us.