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Astro

A collection of 15 posts

Orion Deep Skies

Orion Deep Skies

My main form of Astrophotography is Nightscape photography, also known as Landscape Astrophotography. I have, however, been experimenting with some deep sky imagery, especially in the Australian summer months, when the Milky Way Core is out of sight, and constellations like Orion are in the sky. This image shows the

Mulligans Flat Vertorama

Mulligans Flat Vertorama

Mulligans Flat is a wildlife sanctuary that lies on the northern edge of Canberra, Australia’s national capital. Due to the suburban lights to the south, west and east, the sanctuary’s pond needs to be shot at night with a northerly aspect, making it somewhat challenging to get great

The Emu In the Sky

The Emu In the Sky

Known as Gawarrgay to the Australian First Nations Kamilaroi people, the Celestial Emu describes how many First Nations people viewed the Milky Way.

The Aurora Tree

The Aurora Tree

Just south of Canberra is a famous tree by the side of a country lane just off the Monaro Highway. This tree has a fabulous vantage point looking to the south, providing a great place to observe aurora australis (the Southern Lights) when the conditions are just right. On this

Gundaroo Star Trails

Gundaroo Star Trails

A single image star trail captured over a historic building near Gundaroo in Canberra’s north.

Gondwana Nights

Gondwana Nights

The Gondwana Observatory is a feature of the Australian Age of Dinosaurs near Winton, Qld, and one of four certified Dark Sky places in Australia. We had a visit there in September 2023, and really enjoyed the clear dark skies that can be found in outback Queensland. The Gondwana Observatory

Winton Machinations

Winton Machinations

Winton in Outback Queensland is a great place for nightscape images. The obvious place to shoot is the Jump Up at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, but there are a number of places you can shoot right on the edge of the town. This image was captured in a park

Crux and Aurora

Crux and Aurora

This past weekend provided an interesting night sky opportunity with clear summer skies and a chance of spotting some aurora australis. So I headed to the Williamsdale Road vantage point on the southern side of Canberra and set up two cameras—one shooting star trails and the other doing tracked

The Road to Burra

The Road to Burra

This oft-photographed tree lies on the southern outskirts of Canberra. With the city lights behind you, and a clear view to the south, this can be a great spot for shooting the Milky Way, star trails and perhaps aurora australis. The Milky Way was brilliant on this night, and the

Tangmangaroo Milky Way

Tangmangaroo Milky Way

The old Tangmangaroo Church is located in an isolated spot along the Lachlan Valley Way between Yass and Boorowa, NSW. A Bortle Class 2 location, this old church and graveyard have a south-westerly aspect making for a great Milky Way shoot late in the MW Core season. I like that

Clouds on a Cloudless Night

Clouds on a Cloudless Night

On a relatively cloudless night on the southern side of Canberra, the Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud were prominent in the night sky. With the double star Canopus also clearly visible, these celestial features were features in the south. While the Milky Was brilliant in the Western Sky,

Winton Frontier

Winton Frontier

Winton is a birthplace of Qantas1, Australia’s national airline. In 1920, Winton was then, as it is today, a frontier town in outback Queensland and the birth of air travel connected it to the world. Winton is also connected to the universe as the home of the Jump Up,

Southern Nights

Southern Nights

One of the great things about living in Canberra is the ready access to beautiful night sky locations away from the city lights. This image of the Milky Way, clearly showing the Emu in the Sky, was created by the side of Naas Road in the southern part of the

Tekapo Star Gazing

Tekapo Star Gazing

I’ve had an interesting in getting into night sky / astro photography for some time, but this image was from the first time I gave it a solid go. We joined a night sky tour at the Mt John Observatory near Tekapo on New Zealand’s South Island. The night

Milky Way over the Lightstation

Milky Way over the Lightstation

Precisely one year ago we visited Cape Otway on Victoria's Great Ocean Road, staying at the Cape Otway Lightstation for a milestone birthday treat. There are three or four cottages or studios in historical buildings in which you can stay at the Lightstation. On this occasion, we are