Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto...., a photo from South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Photographer's Note

I don't know if many of you have been watching "Stargazing" on BBC 2, but there have been several "events" organised around Britain where members of the public can meet up with local keen Astronomy Groups and have the opportunity to study the skies this winter.

Last night we visited a Stargazing event at the New Lanark World Heritage Site where, on the rooftop of one of the mills, several telescopes had been set up and we were given the opportunity to gaze at the stars.

One of the main attractions was to observe Jupiter, easily seen at this time in the night sky, and to attempt to view its four largest moons - Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - the so-called "Galilean satellites" as they were first observed and described by the great Italian astronomer and scientist, Galileo Galilei, in 1610. I managed to see two of them!

This picture is, I am afraid, of pretty poor quality. It was very dark last night and I took this by what available light there was, at ISO 6400, wide open at f/2.8 and at 1/8 second hand-held. It was so dim that the autofocus wouldn't work, so it's been focused manually. What you can see, however, is the amazing amount of light pollution (something which astronomers hate) in the sky, even from the small nearby town of Lanark.

jjcordier, timecapturer, Royaldevon, saxo042 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ACL1978 (5773) 2013-01-13 17:59

John, I'm afraid I have no more smilies to offer, but I had to comment on this one! Despite the challenging light (or lack thereof) you really managed a fine shot that captures the wonder of stargazing. The central figure is just perfect, gazing upward along with the telescope, toward any number of incredible sights. And though the BG is indicative of light pollution, it also has the effect of creating a somewhat magical glow behind these folks. Wonderful opportunity for a shot, and nicely done despite difficult conditions!

Andrew

jjcordier (62280) 2013-01-13 22:34

John
Bien évidemment, les conditions de lumière ne sont pas évidentes ici mais la photo retranscris bien l'atmosphère de ces séances d'observation du ciel que j'ai souvent organisées avec mes élèves (il y a quelques années déjà!!!).
Amicalement
JJ

timecapturer (30300) 2013-01-14 3:04

Hi John
big fan of the TV series and this is a superb shot to illustrate its appeal and enthusiasm of the participants. Despite the low light and high ISO I think this shot works beautifully, well done!

Have a great week - Brian.

Royaldevon (17791) 2013-01-14 3:29

Hello John,

As you say, the quality is not what you would achieve on a bright summer's say, but what you have achieved is a fantastic mood, a moment in time that is worth recording.
I love how you have parallelled the main man's gaze with the angle of the telescope.
The light pollution is pronounced but, strangely, produces a warm feeling.

I have seen quite a lot of the series. I watched them gazing at the Northern Lights from the north-west coast of Ireland.
When we were being encouraged to search for particular planets in the southern skies, the narrator said that light pollution over London wasn't a problem!
I'm very much an amateur, more of an interested party, whilst Len uses his iPad to find stars and planets. Is that a cheat!!

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

Noel_Byrne (7329) 2013-01-14 11:50

Hi John,
I have to admit, the title of the image is what drew me in, and I think this is a really good shot. The capture of the light pollution is an excellent thing to see like this, albeit something astronomers hate. What really stands out is the expression on the guy in the centre of the shot, he looks captivated by what is above him, and you have captud that perfectly.
Thanks for sharing
Noel

Ricx (13435) 2013-01-14 14:33

Hi John, I must congratulate you on your challenge of stargazing- I find it amazing yet frustrating.. one dot looks the same as another.. hope the Scottish tea helped.. R

saxo042 (31794) 2013-01-15 1:55

Hi John,

I like this photo, it is well composed and quite funny! The man looking up at the sky looks very astonished, like he is thinking: "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it a star..." But he will probably see them better when using the telescope.

This telescope is well placed in the picture and provide a nice triangular form. The colour of the sky is very good and reflects in the faces of the bystanders.

I don´t thisnk this "is of pretty poor quality" but I notice that you use Photoshop Elements 11. Would there be any reasons to upgrade from version 7?

Kind regards
Gunnar

dale54 (4920) 2013-01-17 8:57