Flamsteed Astronomy Society

November 3, 2008

Photographing the Night Sky

Nik Szymanek

Report by: Mike Dryland

Nik Szymanek talked to us about astro imaging.   Nik is Britain’s leading amateur astrophotography expert.  His images are fabulous.   The great growth of interest in amateur astronomy owes much to the ‘shock and awe’ of images like those from the Hubble Space Telescope and the work of Nik and others.

Nik spoke at length both about using film and about digital photography.  He had many tips about the use of film although most amateurs starting out in astro-imaging today would not be using film.  Nik’s talk is peppered with anecdotes about hair-raising close escapes he’s had with film processing.

Nik, Ian King, and others have been making regular trips to La Palma in the Canaries, to the Roque de Los Muchachos observatories, for some years now, and the resulting images have been spectacular.

We must let Nik’s own images on his website CCDland speak for themselves.

Posted under: Flamsteed, Flamsteed Lecture, Meeting Report