astroanderson.com

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about astroanderson.com

astroanderson.com is authored by

Peter Anderson

 

I am a retired medical doctor from England, general practitioner, public health specialist and academic who is fortunate to be married to a beautiful Catalan lady, Eva, who, through her work, has led me, amongst many other wonderful things, to have the best of both celestial hemispheres, with two astrophotography sites:

 

Southern Hemisphere site, located in Nordelta, BA Province, Argentina: 34°S  58°W

Nordelta site - starting my journey in astrophotograpy

Northern Hemisphere site, located in Calonge, Costa Brava, Catalonia: 41°N  3°E

Calonge site - three planets: Venus near house, bright Jupiter, Mars to the left of Jupiter

How did it all start? With my, at the time, two young sons, I decided to observe and take an image of the June 2012 transit of Venus across the sun, from the beach of Estartit, Costa Brava. Venus transits come in pairs separated by 8 years (the first transit of this specific 8-year pair occurred on June 8, 2004). The next transit will be December 10–11, 2117.

Early morning on the beach
Sun rising
Capturing the transit
Pointing out the transit
Transit of Venus - top right: Captured on June 5, 2012, this rough solar image catches the silhouette of Venus transiting the Sun. Because these planetary alignments occur in pairs separated by over a century, this image documents the last time any human alive today will witness Earth's twin pass directly across the solar disk until December 2117.
Transit of Venus - top right: Captured on June 5, 2012, this rough solar image catches the silhouette of Venus transiting the Sun. Because these planetary alignments occur in pairs separated by over a century, this image documents the last time any human alive today will witness Earth's twin pass directly across the solar disk until December 2117.

After that, I decided to buy a telescope, primarily to observe the planets and the moon – so, in June 2012, I bought a Celestron EdgeHD 9.25″. It served wonders showing off the planets and the moon.  After ten years, and when I finally retired, it dawned on me that there was much more to the night sky than the solar system, but that I would need a dedicated camera to see what was there.  

 

So, in 2023, having loved photography much of my life, I started astrophotography, since when I have been on the steep learning curve.

 

My approach is a blend of art, science and technology, not always processing images as they are in the sky, but as I see them, conversing with time and light, and  revealing the invisible universe. This approach is my time out from the troubles of the world, hoping for a better and sustainable future as I gaze into, and wonder about what is out there. 

 

 

Thanks to: Michael Kahn, who encouraged me to build the website and gave me many helpful comments in the process.  

 

Contact email: peter@astroanderson.com

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