The Pleiades
15
NOV
2014

The Pleiades

The open cluster of the Pleiades is a captivating sight in the winter sky, with nebulosity visible even to the the naked eye. Longer exposures reveal the electric colour of the blue hot stars at the cluster’s heart. These bright stars make it tricky to capture the fainter...
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Twistleton night scene
15
SEP
2014

Twistleton Scars

The Summer Triangle rises above Twistleton Scars in the Yorkshire Dales. The Milky Way bisects the scene with the great Andromeda galaxy visible in the top left of shot.
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M17 omega nebula 180mm f2.8 ed
02
SEP
2014

Omega nebula & Eagle nebula

The Omega nebula, also known as the Swan nebula (although it looks more like a snail to me) in Sagittarius is a tricky one from this latitude (54° north) as once the summer twilight passes and it’s dark enough to take photos again, it barely gets above the horizon. I had a...
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comet jacques 2014 heart soul nebula barn door tracker
20
AUG
2014

Comet Jacques – C/2014 E2

Comet Jacques is now perfectly placed for Northern hemisphere observers. Visible all night for the next month or so, it’s path takes it directly along the spine of the Milky Way. This should make for some interesting conjunctions, and some good photo ops in the coming...
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noctilucent clouds UK july 2014
26
JUL
2014

Noctilucent Clouds

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Living in northern Europe has a few drawbacks when it comes to astrophotography. The high latitude means we struggle to see many of the best constellations. And for a couple of months a year, the summer sky stays blue throughout the night, making astrophotography impossible. But...
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M51 whirlpool galaxy
19
APR
2014

Whirlpool galaxy & comet PANSTARRS

Spring is a great time to for viewing galaxies in the northern hemisphere. The Virgo supercluster arches overhead in a vast swathe through the constellations of Virgo, Leo, Coma Berenices and Canes Venatici. Many famous and recognisable galaxies occupy this region, but none may...
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rosette nebula barn door tracker
06
MAR
2014

Rosette nebula

I was a bit hesitant to image the Rosette nebula as it sits quite low in the sky, and is even fainter than the tricky Horsehead nebula which I had difficulty capturing a few months ago. So I didn’t expect much of a result when capturing the images with my DSLR/barn door...
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28
FEB
2014

Northern lights

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The Aurora Borealis is a pretty rare sight from England. The last time I saw one was back in January 2005! Last night however, everything came together and the illusive northern lights showed up once more. I know from experience that it pays to check if any auroras are forecast...
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cigar galaxy supernova M82
31
JAN
2014

Supernova!

Eleven and a half million years ago, a massive explosion lit up the Cigar galaxy (M82), and just last week, the light from this dying star finally arrived on Earth. This is a rare supernova event (and the closest to Earth in 20 years) so I thought I’d have a go at capturing...
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