Astrophotography

My ardor for astronomy began from an early age. I got my first telescope and could not believe what I saw. This passion and awe led me to be an avid viewer of the night sky and to compete academically for 7 consecutive years at the state level in Astronomy competitions through Science Olympiad. When I arrived at college, more resources were suddenly available. My first formal astronomy course was with Dr. Ronen Plesser at Duke University, and through him, I was able to gain access to some of the nicest telescopes I have ever laid my hands on. Now, I want to share what I see to the world and see it more clearly in the process.

After thoroughly enjoying the telescope use in our course, I spoke to Dr. Plesser about the possibility of utilizing the telescopes outside the classroom in order to take photographs of the objects and sights we were observing. Dr. Plesser was intrigued and excited by the idea, so we got a small team together (myself, Dr. Plesser, Dr. Yuriy Bomze, and Dr. Ryan Kozlowski). I brought my camera and operational expertise, Dr. Plesser brought the scopes and astrophysics, Dr. Kozlowski provided previous astrophotography experience, and Dr. Bomze supplied other image processing techniques, scopes, and focusing devices. On clear nights, we go to the Duke Observatory, discuss physics, and take pictures of everything we can, from deep-space objects to solar system bodies.