Astrophotography

I slipped into astrophotography a few years back when attempting to photograph the Milky Way with a cellphone (inspired by this). When we got into RV-camping in the midst of the 2020 pandemic I had more access to starry skies and I gradually got more into it. Without having a grand plan, I continued via Fuji X-T1 and lightweight star tracker to computerized mounts (ZWO AM5&3), dedicated telescopes (William Optics Z73 and Celestron EdgeHD 8), and astrocameras (ASI294mm and ASI2600mc).

Why do I do this? Astrophotography is a time-sink and you will not be able compete with Hubble or James Webb in data quality.

There is something about being there yourself. When I saw Saturn from my house with a tiny travel telescope, I was hooked. Also, I didn't internalize how unfathomably vast the observable universe is before I got into astrophotography. Plus, processing images is an intriguing combination of art and science.

The images here are optimized for HDR, and will look the best if you have an HDR-capable display and browser.

- Janne Kontkanen, 2024