Courses in Astrophotography

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Information About Damian.

My Interest in Astronomy took flight at a young age while at primary school. The first books i ever read on Astronomy were the introductory "Man and Space" by Neil Ardley, and also "Astronomy" by Ian Nicolson and "Travellers in Space and Time" by Sir Patrick Moore all of which i still have. It was soon after that i got my first instrument - a pair of 8 x 30 binoculars with which i learnt my way around the sky. I recall vividly my first views of M31 and Jupiter using them. I also had a small 10 x 30 Russian spotting scope which i used during to watch the Jovian moons (which i still use today!.)

It wasn't until three years later, after hassling my parents constantly, did i finally get my first telescope - a 50mm white tube Tasco refractor (which i also still have.) By this time i knew the night sky very well so have taken the very "classic self education" in Astronomy. It gave excellent sharp images and allowed views of all manner of objects from double stars to the belts of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and phases of Venus. By this time i was an avid watcher of the BBC's "Sky a Night" hosted by the legendary Patrick Moore. His boundless enthusiasm (as with so many) further captivated my growing fascination with the night sky.

It wasn't until 1992 or so that my attention really turned toward the Planets (especially Jupiter.) In about 1992 i joined the Boston Astronomical Society of Lincolnshire headed by well known UK amateur astronomer, Paul Money. His captivating talks, and infectious enthusiasm really wore off on me, and i was able to use the societies 4.5" and 10" reflecting telescopes to observe with - finally i would really be able to see the kind of details that i had read so much about. I spent many nights during my early teens observing the Planets, with a special fascination for Jupiter.

Later in the mid-1990s i acquired my own "proper" telescopes. A 6" F/6 Newtonian, and 90mm F/11 refractor. The Newtonian was a poor instrument, and was little used, but the refractor gave wonderful views. I recall well the stunning views of Comets Hyakutake and Hale Bopp.

Yours truly in front of the great 72" "Leviathan" reflector in Birr, Ireland.

During 1997 i acquired a Meade 20cm SCT, and had relocated to the town of Kings Lynn, on the Norfolk coast. It was during the summer of 1997 that my astronomical life changed forever - July 23rd, 1997 to be precise. This night i had for me what was the most incredible view of Jupiter like nothing i had ever seen before. The log book which i still have today, is filled with exclamation marks on my comments at the eyepiece!. It was from that point i was totally hooked on observing the giant Planet.

During that year i also became captivated by images by Florida Planetary guru Don Parker showing amazingly detailed images of Jupiter, revealing the details i was seeing, and much more. With further superbly detailed views of the Planet during 1997, i began to seriously consider buying a CCD camera and trying to take images of my own. It was during this period i upgraded my telescope to a 30cm Meade SCT and finally bought an SBIG ST-7 camera, which shortly after i changed to an SBIG ST-5c camera.

My very first session on Jupiter at the beginning of the 1998 apparition was disappointing (after many practice sessions on Deep Sky objects with the new CCD camera.) I soon learned that capturing finely detailed images was FAR harder than it looked. However, on the second session a few nights later, the seeing conditions (of which i knew little about) must have been good, as there before me were detailed images showing everything and more that i could see.....from then on, my results rapidly improved,. and so began the journey that has lead me to the present day...

Highlights to date...

Some of my proudest achievements since have been: Being elected An Assistant Director of the BAA Jupiter section, The Assistant Director of the BAA Saturn section, and an Assistant Coordinator of the ALPO Jupiter section. Appearing many times on the BBC Sky at Night program with Sir Patrick Moore. Appearing live on the BBC All Night Star Party and imaging Mars live for the program from the observatories in the Canary Islands (which was a great success.) I was awarded the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) Walter Haas award for outstanding contributions to Planetary astronomy and the British Astronomical Association (BAA) Merlin Medal again for outstanding contributions to Planetary astronomy. I've also authored or co-authored numerous articles and papers for all major amateur astronomy publications, and some professional science publications I've also authored book chapters and contributed countless images to magazines and books over the last ten years as well as having given lectures both at home and overseas. I've also been fortunate to observe from some of the worlds finest sites over the last several years which has been a real thrill as well as meeting many great people along the way.

Lastly, i want to say a big thankyou to those that have inspired me during what remains a greatly rewarding pursuit. Sir Patrick Moore whom without who's infectious enthusiasm as a young boy i doubt i would have made it this far (i think many could say this!) and his utterly remarkable level of observational work on the Planets, which even today is an inspiration. To Paul Money for his enthusiasm which inspired me as a teenage observer. Also, to Don Parker, Antonio Cidadao and Thierry Legault for their wise advice and guidance when i first began imaging

Contact E-mail: dpeach_78@(NOSPAM)yahoo.co.uk (Remove NOSPAM.)