Amateur Stargazer Stuns Worlds Astronomers

Wow, this makes me want to buy a telescope even more! Is'nt this a fascinating story.

I guess he has spent a lot of cash here on his equipment, but is'nt it just worth it for pictures like this?

Not bad for a backyard set-up.

An amateur stargazer has stunned astronomers around the world with his photographs of the universe – taken from his garden shed.

Office worker Mr Shah, who lives in a hillside bungalow at Meifod, near Welshpool, Powys, has been an avid astronomer since his mother bought him a £5 telescope when he was seven

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ce90c2981a99.jpg[/atsimg]

Peter Shah, 38, cut a hole in the roof of his wooden shed and set up his modest eight-inch telescope inside. After months of patiently waiting for the right moment he emerged with a series of striking images of the Milky Way.

His photographs of a vivid variety of star clusters light years from Earth have been compared to the images taken from the £2.5 billion Hubble space telescope.

But it cost Mr Shah just £20,000 to equip his garden shed with a telescope linked to his home computer.

I hope this story will encourage more people to become interested in this field. It certainly has made me want a telescope even more.

Need some $$$ !!

Donations welcome

www.telegraph.co.uk...

[edit on 21-1-2010 by grantbeed]

[edit on 21-1-2010 by grantbeed]

Stunning images. Thanks for posting this ... it just proves to me that there is still place in this world for individualists and explorers.

Imagine what this man could do if he had a NASA-sized budget to work with.

reply to post by deltaalphanovember


I totally agree. It's brilliant that individuals can acheve something so awesome!

Good on him.

Holy crap! They are amazing! That's gotta make those 20,000 pounds feel worth every cent to him! thanks so much for sharing! makes me want to run out and buy a telescope now

Kudos to Mr Shah. It just proves that if person really wants something he can do it.
And to think i was glad when i shot some star trails....

reply to post by bkaust


Ahh yes, but your forgetting that for 20K he could of put Jacuzzi and a stripper pole in his shed.

But if the man want's to capture the enormity of the cosmos in picture then that's his 20K.

He's got a good scope though, and they don't come cheap, I would think he has a fair few hydrogen alpha and other expensive filters to play with also, you don't get pictures of this quality straight out of the scope with no enhancement, but fair play to him, lot's of dedication and great photos!

His equipment:

ORION OPTICS UK AG8 Astrograph. A fully corrected 8 inch f3.8 Newtonian, mounted on a Losmandy G11 with Gemini computer

scope

his web site

That picture is so beautiful. I can see why Abraham Lincoln wanted this
as one of his famous quotes.

"I can look around the earth, as some people do, and say there could be
no God.
However, I can not conceive, of how anyone, can look into the heavens,
and make the same claim".

SnF

[edit on 21-1-2010 by randyvs]

His email address is on his website I wonder if he would welcome an invitation to come along to ATS to discuss?

I'm too shy to ask - any takers??

reply to post by badBERTHA


Sod it go on then i'll do it, worth a try I guess, he'll more than likley think we're a bunch of nut jobs but what the hell



[edit on 21-1-2010 by Majestic RNA]

Very Nice.

He can do this from his garden shed.
Once again this begs the question: What the hell are 'they' not showing us

i wonder has he any good shots of the moon




Peace.

It is truely amazing the clarity and beauty of some of the images I have seen astrophotographrs capture. I have a 8" SCT scope myself (Celestron C8-not what is in my avatar,lol) and would like to get into astrophotography, but can't afford the extra equipment yet.

BTW, that guys mount/tripod cost more than the scope did, I believe. They often can, for a great mount! Plus the camera(perhaps its a SBIG camera) can cost into the thousands, even 5k+.

If anyone seriously wants to get into amateur astronomy, send me a PM. I know where to go to hook you up with some great equipment at very reasonable prices. I'm not selling, I just know where the amateur astronoymers hang out and sell their used equipment,lol.

Originally posted by Majestic RNA
reply to post by badBERTHA

 

Sod it go on then i'll do it, worth a try I guess, he'll more than likley think we're a buch of nut jobs but what the hell

Ok I've sent Peter an email with a link to the thread, I've asked him if he would like to join and discuss his photos, lets see what happens, I'll update if a get a reply...

Originally posted by Now_Then
reply to post by bkaust

 

Ahh yes, but your forgetting that for 20K he could of put Jacuzzi and a stripper pole in his shed.

But if the man want's to capture the enormity of the cosmos in picture then that's his 20K.

Or he could just sell his pictures. What good will a hot water faucet and an aluminum rod do you?

Hubble what? Shows the absolute efficiency of government operated anything....

edit: should throw in some stunned congratulations. As a man whos business is heavily in live visual solutions and stage lighting effects, I must say these are the most beautiful images and colours I have seen for quite some time. Thanks.

[edit on 21/1/10 by GhostR1der]

Starred and Flagged!!

Thank you so much for sharing this. Looking over his gallery of pictures, I feel reminded of just how small we are. And grateful for the amazing creation around us.

Only one question comes to mind. With all that we see, and don't see... how can anyone even suggest we are completely alone in the Universe? It's beyond me.

Again, thank you for sharing this. I remain in awe.

reply to post by itstheendoftheworldaswekn



Ahh.... Good question!!
Now if we could just get a giant rear view mirror up there over the moon's shoulder.

Oh wow. Amazing pictures. stunning!! I bet he's the cat with two tails now. While i do have access to a telescope (its about 1.5mr long orange thing with back knobs on and motor thing, I hve never been able to set it up to look through it. Originally purchased for purving on neighbours.... no only joking. I think its pretty powerfull as far as budget scopes go.) (forgot to end bracket) ( i do that sometimes) Unfortunatly i dont have a garden shed in which to cut a hole.
now if this guy can just get some photos of intercepting alien starfleets. that will be cool

Originally posted by itstheendoftheworldaswekn
Very Nice.

He can do this from his garden shed.
Once again this begs the question: What the hell are 'they' not showing us

i wonder has he any good shots of the moon

Peace.

I'm with you on these two counts.
1) If he can do this from his garden shed what would he be able to do with a Hubble?
2) I wonder how long before he is forced to take down his setup?

Those pictures are absolutely stunning. I clicked on the link in the article, and check out the gallery ... I'm not sure all of those were made by Mr. Shah but wow. I've been staring at the picture of the Andromeda Galaxy for minutes now and I'm still blown away by it. Thank you for posting this OP!

@mikeg2222 I had to laugh reading your post mate, like your style