Science Cheerleader subscriber (and close friend) Roz sent in this news tip. Turns out we CAN generate sparkling images of stars even in light polluted areas. (A little more on light pollution here.) Her neurologist, Steve Mazlin, is also an amateur astrophotographer who has set up a mini Hubble telescope-of-sorts in his backyard, not far from where my parents live in light polluted Bucks County, PA. Who knew? The picture on the left, is one of HIS!
Here’s an excerpt from a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article on Mazlin:
“Ten years ago, the convergence of high-tech computers, sophisticated telescopes, and digital cameras with their high resolution and sensitivity to light allowed Mazlin to begin realizing his childhood dream – making detailed pictures of the wonders in the sky. Mazlin has never taken an astronomy, photography or computer course. He didn’t own a computer or see any need to have one until 1996, when he saw the possibilities of using it for imaging deep into the sky.”
“With what is available today, anyone can do it,” he says, “provided you’re willing to invest the time and the money, roughly $3,000 to $5,000 for the basic equipment.”
Read more about Steve and view his awesome images here.
It is possible to take interesting astronomical pictures even without owning or putting together imaging equipment. Bradford Robotic Telescope is the oldest web accessible public robotic telescope: http://www.telescope.org
Unlike similar projects, it is still freely accessible without fee to anyone, not just schools. I guess BRT is mostly used for education and self learning, but some use it also for research. As an example of its capabilities, here are the images I took with BRT: http://www.pbase.com/amoroso/brt
It is possible to take interesting astronomical pictures even without owning or putting together imaging equipment. Bradford Robotic Telescope is the oldest web accessible public robotic telescope: http://www.telescope.org
Unlike similar projects, it is still freely accessible without fee to anyone, not just schools. I guess BRT is mostly used for education and self learning, but some use it also for research. As an example of its capabilities, here are the images I took with BRT: http://www.pbase.com/amoroso/brt
Thanks for sharing this, Paolo!
Thanks for sharing this, Paolo!
i loved your image of the moon. i am a photographer and it would be fun to point a big lens at the moon. i didn’t get far on the BRT page – i think i need some pointers. i don’t know much about astronomy (yet).
i loved your image of the moon. i am a photographer and it would be fun to point a big lens at the moon. i didn’t get far on the BRT page – i think i need some pointers. i don’t know much about astronomy (yet).