Featured in the Guardian
My image of the California Nebula featured in the article.
Today, my image of the California Nebula has been featured in the Guardian.
The article, “‘A fleeting vacation from terrestrial concerns’: readers’ best stargazing photos”, featured some of the Guardian readers best astrophotography images from the past year. This article has some incredible images and I can't quite believe I am actually featured among them.
Thanks to Alfie Packham (@AlfiePackham) for reaching out to me and congratulations to everyone else who featured! It's fantastic to see so many people from all walks of life, including healthcare workers doing such an amazing job on the frontline, enjoying the night sky.
The image featured is of the California Nebula (NGC 1499) from 5 nights worth of data from the 25th February to the 8th March. It lies at a distance of around 1,500 light years from Earth. The distinct red glow is caused by the nearby star Xi Persei.
My original post on the image can be found here.
Here is an excerpt from that I wrote to accompany my image for the article.
I took this image of the California nebula over five nights from 25 February to 8 March, 2021, from my garden. The California Nebula (NGC 1499) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Perseus. Named after the nebula’s resemblance to the US State of California, it is extremely large. This nebula is extremely faint and difficult to observe visually, but the beautiful structure can be observed through astrophotography. It lies at a distance of around 1,500 light years from Earth. The distinct red glow is caused by the nearby hot, blue-white star Xi Persei that can be seen in the top right of the image.
Since I left home to study theoretical physics, I have not had much opportunity to indulge in stargazing. However, the pandemic gave me an opportunity to try a new hobby in astrophotography. It’s becoming a bit of an addiction. I never thought I would be able to capture images like this, even with a dedicated camera and mount. I am in awe of the beauty of these structures in the night sky, and the seemingly unimaginable forces required to construct them.
My deep-sky astrophotography set-up.
Total Integration - 18 Hours 25 Minutes
ZWO ASI183MC Pro
William Optics RedCat51
iOptron CEM40
ZWO ASI120MM-Mini Guide Camera and ZWO Mini Guide Scope
Radian Triad Ultra Quadband OSC Filter
Images captured in my Bortle 4 skies in Shropshire with ZWO ASIAir Pro. Processed with PixInsight, Photoshop and Topaz DeNoise AI.
Follow @leather_ben on Instagram to learn more and if you have any questions about astrophotography or my images, don’t be afraid to message me!
