A Qualicum Beach man says he was able to snap (from his backyard) a photo of the Andromeda Galaxy, which is 2.5 million light years away from earth, using an ordinary camera.
Ron Fisher was able to capture the closest neighbouring galaxy to earth using a Canon EOS with a 300mm telephoto lens on an equatorial tracking mount.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 my first real effort,B次元官网网址� said the 77-year-old Fisher. B次元官网网址淚 have been studying and trying to learn how to do that for a while and thatB次元官网网址檚 my first successful try.B次元官网网址�
Fisher said it required lot of reading and learning from others. He is a member of the Nanaimo Astronomy Club, the Royal Astronomical Society in Victoria and also two astro photography groups. He said he has absorbed a lot of information, knowledge and guidance from them.
B次元官网网址淭hese people are really, really knowledgeable and I have learned so much from them,B次元官网网址� said Fisher. B次元官网网址淪o itB次元官网网址檚 been a wonderful experience for me.B次元官网网址�
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Fisher, who first developed a love for astronomy when his wife, Nicole, gave him an eight-inch Dobsonion telescope for Christmas three years ago, specifically sought out to shoot the Andromeda Galaxy.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really hard to see, so what I did is I calculated, after reading all kinds on astronomy and everything else, what the field of view was for my telephoto lens,B次元官网网址� Fisher explained. B次元官网网址淚 knew I wanted to use a 300mm setting to get most of the galaxy and it worked out just fine.B次元官网网址�
Fisher shot about 140 30-second exposures and processed the images with Pixinsight, the software that professional astronomers use.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a very lengthy process,B次元官网网址� said Fisher. B次元官网网址淚 selected about 107 images that were clear and good enough. And then I stacked them and processed them, getting rid of the background noise. It took me about two weeks to work through the software process and clear them up. So when I finally did it, I was so pleased.B次元官网网址�
The critical part of the work, Fisher explained, is to get the camera to focus on the subject that he is targetting up in space.
B次元官网网址淲hen youB次元官网网址檙e aiming into the dark sky, itB次元官网网址檚 so hard to do that,B次元官网网址� said Fisher. B次元官网网址淪o what I had to do was to go on live-view and extend it to full magnification so I can pick out a star that is close to what I want to photograph. And then I adjust the lens to get it absolutely focussed. Then I tell my mount to move to the object that I want to go to.B次元官网网址�
Although itB次元官网网址檚 a time-consuming hobby, Fisher regards it as B次元官网网址渇un.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 am 77 years old and itB次元官网网址檚 like going back to university again and I just love it,B次元官网网址� said Fisher. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 so much to learn and read. The actual photo is not the only goal, itB次元官网网址檚 also learning the process and excitement of being able to learn all this stuff. ItB次元官网网址檚 wonderful. My wife has been extremely patient with me.B次元官网网址�
What Fisher would like see, similar to the many astronomers he has talked to, is to convince hydro companies to try to keep the night skies dark as much as possible.
B次元官网网址淭his is important so that kids can grow up seeing the stars,B次元官网网址� said Fisher. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 disappearing quickly. And right now, I would like to do something about it. TheyB次元官网网址檙e bright blue and the kind of thing that takes the night skies away. They need to be shielded, toned down or whatever, otherwise weB次元官网网址檙e gonna lose it. When we moved here five years ago from Vancouver, weB次元官网网址檝e never seen the night skies. And it such a thrill here to walk on my backyard and enjoy looking at the stars and constellations. ItB次元官网网址檚 so beautiful and it would be nice just to keep it that way.B次元官网网址�
Now that Fisher has a successful photo of the Andromeda Galaxy, he now has something to share with the groups he is affiliated with.
B次元官网网址淭hey often show their latest works and I never had anything to offer,B次元官网网址� said Fisher.B次元官网网址滻 am going to show them my photo but itB次元官网网址檚 nothing like what theyB次元官网网址檝e been taking as theyB次元官网网址檝e got so much experience and their equipment is so much better,B次元官网网址� said Fisher. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 a start.B次元官网网址�
Fisher said he would like to invest in another telescope that will help him capture on camera of different areas in deep space. He is hoping to shoot the Orion Nebula.
B次元官网网址淚t is just starting to rise not in the east and in a month or two itB次元官网网址檒l be sky-high,B次元官网网址� said Fisher. B次元官网网址淚t is absolutely beautiful. I hope to get that. I just want to keep on learning.B次元官网网址�
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