Remote Astrophotography Mastery: A Guide by Jonathan Lodge
Interview with Remote Astrophotographer Extraordinaire, Jonathan Lodge
Say hello to Jonathan Lodge, a bloke who's turned his passion for the cosmos into award-winning astrophotographs! With four NASA APODs under his belt and two images in the prestigious Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition (2023, no less!), John's no newbie to stargazing.
This interview will kick off with an introduction to remote astrophotography, followed by the pros and cons of this space-age method, and, lastly, John's innovative workflows and favourite software. So, buckle up, space cadets! Let's dive in! 🚀
The Lowdown on Remote Astrophotography
Since the start of 2021, John's been utilizing Telescope Live to get his cosmic snaps. Prefaced by awareness of other remote astrophotography services, John found them pricy. But Telescope Live offers a more affordable solution, enabling plenty of stargazers to tap into their costly equipment.
The service equips users with multiple telescopes across three observatories—Australia, Chile, and Spain. So, chances are, at least one of the observatories boasts decent weather conditions! Moreover, the observatories boast good elevations in extremely dark locations, ensuring minimal light pollution and top-notch gear.
With Telescope Live, subscribers get credits according to their subscription tier. These credits can be used to purchase numerous datasets daily. As time goes on, you can buy more sets and build up ample integration time. Over the course of the year, a wide variety of celestial objects are imaged, giving users plenty of options to choose from. Additionally, all ever-imaged data can be purchased from the archive.
The Pros and Cons of Remote Astrophotography
Just like any other equipment or technique, remote astrophotography ain't perfect. Here, we'll examine the pros and cons John's experienced:
Pros
- Rarity of Clear Skies: Living in the UK's north, John struggles to find clear, moonless nights. This makes remote astrophotography an excellent choice! Plus, celestial sites dark enough for imaging faint nebulae in broadband are at least an hour away from his abode.
- Sleep Matters: With two minuscule humans in tow, John barely gets proper shut-eye. Since he can't sleep with one eye open 'round the clock, remote astrophotography's a lifesaver! While automation is possible, it still requires some initial tension-filled nights.
- Access to Elite Equipment: Traditionally, high-end astrophotography gear is way out of reach. With remote astrophotography, John gets access to top-notch toys!
- Variety of Focal Lengths: No matter your desired field of view, John's covered!
- Beautiful Southern Hemisphere Skies: The southern hemisphere houses incredible skies and objects. Sadly, those on a tight budget can't easily grab data on these sites. Remote astrophotography solves this problem!
- Pre-Calibrated Data: All files come pre-calibrated, saving John time on darks, bias, and flats.
Cons
- Lack of Control: You don't get to dictate which images are captured and how long for (unless you pay extra). You'll find yourself with excess data or not enough. Nevertheless, there's usually enough to create a stunning final image.
- Shared Data: Once purchased, the same data is accessible to other subscribers. At first, this may trigger feelings of ownership insecurity, but over time, John realized that everyone processes data differently, leading to diverse styles.
- Tech Glitches: Even with excellent quality data, dealing with gradients, satellite/plane/meteor trails, and bad frames can still be a pain! However, these issues teach valuable lessons, which John wouldn't have encountered with his own data.
John's Workflow for Remote Astrophotography
John's workflow for transforming pre-calibrated data into astrophotographs and animations is outlined below:
For Images:1. Download and organize.2. Inspect and discard frames with high clouds or bothersome artefacts.3. Utilize Weighted Batch Pre-Processing (WBPP) in PixInsight to create master frames per filter.4. Crop each frame.5. Eliminate gradients with GraXpert.6. Linearize everything using either Luminance or Hydrogen Alpha.7. Combine RGB, and color-calibrate using SPCC (which employs Gaia data).8. Apply Russ Croman's BlurXTerminator and NoiseXTerminator.9. Stretch the Luminance (SHO, if present) with GHS and RGB with Masked stretch.10. Merge the LRGB; narrowband images are left separate at this stage.11. Apply Russ Croman's StarXTerminator and NoiseXTerminator.12. For narrowbands, blend filters in Photoshop to achieve desirable colors. Alternatively, use Hydrogen Alpha as luminance or create a synthetic luminance and combine it in PixInsight.13. In Photoshop, apply selective sharpening, contrast, and color adjustments to areas that need it. Additionally, fix any lingering issues that couldn't be resolved earlier.14. Re-introduce the stars, adjust their brightness and color, and maybe shrink them, if necessary (likely not needed with John's use of GHS).
For Animations:1. Use a starless version or one with stars.2. Select between high-quality JPGs or PNGs for transparency.3. In DaVinci Resolve, Fusion performs every step.4. Place the astrophotograph on an image plane (or multiple planes for added depth).5. Set several particle fields in 3D space to represent stars, altering proportions for natural appearances.6. Choose an end point for the camera and work backwards to the start point.7. Lay down a particle 'kill' box around the camera path to ensure no passage through stars.8. Run the animation several times to ensure it looks realistic. Ensure that the appropriate parts of the object are shown throughout the animation.
John's remote astrophotography creations receive numerous positive comments, even though they're not 100% realistic. However, true realism would result in a dark image with only stars and faint smudges of nebulosity—definitely not ideal for eye-catching videos!
See John's astrophotography masterpieces on his Instagram and Facebook pages!
Resources for Aspiring Astrophotographers
Trying to improve your astrophotography game? John recommends the following resources:
- Inside PixInsight by Warren Keller
- The Astrophotography Manual by Chris Woodhouse
Additionally, John suggests subscribing to the following YouTube channels:
- Adam Block
- AZStarman (Bernard Miller)
- Bray Falls
- Shawn Nielson
Lastly, take advantage of the tutorials included with Telescope Live membership by top astrophotographers.
John's Background
John's passion for the cosmos lead him to purchase his first DSLR in 2014. He'd traveled to extraordinary locations but couldn't capture the sights with his skills and gear. Inspired by an image in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards, John decided to take action!
John's been captivated by space since his youth. He graduated from the Open University with a BSc (Hons) degree in Physical Science, primarily focused on Astronomy subjects, in 2008. He then earned a BEng (Hons) degree in Engineering in 2014.
John holds the position of treasurer and trustee of his local astronomical society, Doncaster Astronomical Society. He's also given talks on astrophotography and astronomy outreach presentations to kids and adults.
After visiting New Zealand in 2018 and capturing images of the Magellanic Clouds and Carina nebula with his DSLR and Star Adventurer, John caught the Deep Sky Object (DSO) bug. Unfortunately, the man who set the equipment up passed away during John's trip, so he spent a lot of time on the Cloudy Nights forum figuring things out.
Since having children, John's scaled back on imaging and terrestrial photography. However, the ability to process data taken remotely has allowed his skills to develop further as his children grow older. His goal at present is to have his own setup at one of the remote observatories.
Recently, John launched a website showcasing his astrophotography and offering prints for purchase. John also enjoys crafting 3D animations and posting them on Instagram and Facebook.
Related Content from Skies & Scopes
- Astronomy Photographer of the Year Equipment Analysis
- Sergio Díaz Ruiz: How To Create Astro Images With Public Data
- Deep Sky West: How Two Friends Built a Remote Astrophotography Observatory
- Other Astrophotographer Interviews and Case Studies
About the Author
Anthony Robinson is the founder and owner of Skies & Scopes, a publication and community centered on amateur astronomy and astrophotography. His work has been featured in numerous publications, such as Amateur Astrophotography, Forbes, the Guardian, DIY Photography, PetaPixel, and Digital Camera World. Learn more about Anthony at the links below:
- Bluesky
- Jonathan Lodge, the interviewed astrophotographer, has been using Telescope Live since 2021 to capture cosmic images, appealing to budget-conscious stargazers due to its affordable pricing compared to other remote astrophotography services.
- Telescope Live offers subscription tiers that provide users with credits for purchasing numerous datasets, which can be used to image a diverse range of celestial objects over the course of the year, including objects in the southern hemisphere.
- The service operates multiple telescopes across three observatories—Australia, Chile, and Spain—ensuring decent weather conditions and minimal light pollution, as the observatories are located in areas with good elevations.
- Remote astrophotography offers benefits such as access to elite equipment, the ability to photograph celestial objects during rare clear nights, and the opportunity to capture southern hemisphere skies, only reachable at a high cost otherwise.
- However, remote astrophotography also comes with drawbacks, such as a lack of control over which images are captured and how long for, shared data access, and potential tech glitches that can result in graduients, satellite/plane/meteor trails, and bad frames.
