Light is beautiful. It illuminates a world of beauty for us to appreciate while giving us a tool to decipher the riddles of the universe. In astronomy, it’s always about more photons! Because more photons = more data = better results. But in an increasingly technological world, more photons can be a bad thing. Especially when the artificial photons overpower the natural. I was lucky to spend most of my youth living away from the bright lights of the city, but with the sprawling metropolis of Toronto to the South, I could always see the orange glow that blocked out...
I’m addicted. I love astrophotography. I find myself spending a lot of time working no the photos, being outside trying to get the perfect shot, learning how to use my camera and other equipment, and putting together a wish list of equipment that will let me do even more! I went outside before sunrise yesterday and managed to snap an hour’s worth of images, adding to an hour from the night before, where I attempted some star trails over the city of Toronto. All I’ve done so far today is play with the photos and learn to make them look...
It’s that magical time of year once again, the best meteor shower of the year is upon us: The Perseids! Generally the most reliable meteor shower and the one that most people know about, the August meteors have one of the highest rates, typically anywhere from 50 – 100 meteors per hour. Its amazing how well known it is considering most people don’t know there are more than nine showers during the year. Either way, this year will be particularly good for a very special reason: It’s a new Moon. The Moon is the enemy of a meteor shower. Its...
Some pictures speak volumes, and some have interesting hidden details that we don’t always see from the outset. A stunning photo of the Milky Way from Taiwan shows more than meets the eye. At first glance, you might notice the fascinating shot of the Milky Way, and you may even pick up on the fact that the pollution from the distant cities blocks out all stars past a certain point. The prominence of pollution and light pollution are very present in the image. The real gem, however, is to notice the blue clusters of light around the rocks. They are...
