When I was a kid, the internet was barely a thing. Even so, photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope were making quite the splash around the world. I remember the first time I saw Hubble imagery of the Pillars of Creation – bright stars and brilliant glowing gas clouds that put the best imagery from Star Trek to shame (not a huge ask in 1995, but still true today). I’m not sure if I decided then that I wanted to become a scientist and create photographs of nebulae and galaxies, but it definitely made an impression!
Twenty-some-odd years and BS/MS degrees in Computer Science later, I decided to jump head-first into the world of astrophotography. In a couple of short years, I’ve learned (and $pent!) more than I ever thought I would, and still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible. I hope that by sharing my experiences, failures, and victories, others will be able enjoy exploring the cosmos as much as I have. My plan for this blog site is to share ideas, art, and some home-brew software. Stick around!
– The Photon Collector