I’m retired, so now I have more time to do new things, so….
I recently purchased a home telescope. Well, it’s nothing like the old kind with its long cylinder and reflection lens. This one is lightweight, portable, digital, automated and easily programmed to take superb images of deep space. It finds what you reasonably ask it for. It’s magical. In a sense it, almost cuts out the operator.
Nebulas, solar systems, stars from many thousands of light years away can be observed just with your selected schedule and a clear sky. Its sequential images can be later merged into one final picture, options include deleting any from the set with cloud cover or other artefacts.
It is clever, more than this operator and it somehow finds and tracks its target with incredible accuracy. It’s a bit weird but the scope is better with deep space than our own much closer planetary backyard. It seems paradoxical to me, but objects further out can appear clearer as they don’t appear to be moving. (that is in comparison to our own solar system)
The theory is the further away things are the closer we are to the beginning of creation. Not sure how that works or are we just earth - centric to think we were first at the beginning?
Obviously light travels at incredible speed. It’s mind boggling when you look at some of the numbers in space. Fascinating to know that what you see is possibly a snapshot from many thousands of years ago. In fact, you could be seeing something today that no longer even exists.
All you need is a few entries on the schedule of the scope and an orientation to the north with a sturdy tripod and it does the rest. It really is that clever.
You don’t need to know anything about astronomy; the telescope knows where most things are. It’s not called a smart telescope for nothing. You don’t even need to see what it is imaging; you can leave it outside and go to bed and get the results the next morning. Of course, an accurate guide of inclement weather is crucial as well as trust of your neighbours’ dogs in protection of this electronic device. An additional battery backup may be useful to keep the power running.
I do feel a bit of a fraud showing my images that represent little effort. The credit to our amazing cosmos is also not mine but we are all allowed to just admire. The scope in suburbia can produce spectacular images even with the interfering background of neighbourhood lights.
The cosmos is of course space with just countless of billions of objects measured in ridiculously large light years distance from each other.
Synchronicity for me in space is compelling; it speaks to me of divine design. The numbers are of course staggering. Earth is just 1 of 3.2 trillion planets in our galaxy. The Sun is just 1 of 200 billion stars in the Milky Way. The Milky Way is just 1 of 2 trillion galaxies in the
observable universe.
Try and let that sink in. It boggles my mind. Here are some of my pics of outer space taken from my backyard.
The cosmos is, of course, space itself an endless ocean scattered with countless billions of objects, separated by distances so vast they’re measured in light years that almost defy comprehension.
What compels me most about space is synchronicity. In all that apparent chaos, there is still harmony a kind of quiet order woven through the universe. To me, it whispers of divine design. The numbers alone are staggering. Earth is just 1 of an estimated 3.2 trillion planets in our galaxy. The Sun is only 1 of around 200 billion stars in the Milky Way. And the Milky Way itself is merely 1 of roughly 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe.
Try and let that truly sink in for a moment. It boggles my mind every single time I think about it.
And yet, despite those unimaginable distances, there’s something deeply humbling in realizing that we are all made from the same cosmic dust. The atoms in our bodies were forged in ancient stars long before Earth even existed. In a universe this vast, connection seems impossible but somehow, everything is linked. Every person, every star, every
galaxy is part of the same unfolding story, woven together across space and time like threads in one infinite tapestry.
Maybe that’s why looking into the night sky feels so personal. The universe can make us feel small, but at the same time, profoundly connected to each other, and to something far greater than ourselves.
Here are some of my photos of outer space, taken right from my backyard.
Crab Nebula (I actually think it resembles Miss Piggy from Sesame Street) it’s around 6,000 light years away.
In 1054 a supernova lit up the sky over China and surrounding countries. It was visible even during the day. This was the explosive end of a star that we now can observe as the remains of the nebula as the Crab Nebula.
Just one of the many (80 billion) spiral galaxies from known deep space The eye of God, also called the Helix nebula. It’s only 655 light years away.
That is 946000000000000 times 655 kilometres away. It’s surprising that this is considered close by space standards.
The Orion Nebula 1344 light years away.
Did you know that there is symmetry between the moon and the earth and the sun and the earth.? There is 108 times the diameter of the sun in distance to the earth and the same number (108) of moon diameters to the earth.
Speaking of numbers and time in
1922: Astronomers estimated the entire universe to encompass only our Milky Way galaxy, which is about 100,000 light-years across.
Today: the observable universe is now known to be about 93 billion light-years across. Who knows what the future estimates will be.
This drastic change in space estimates demonstrates the development of astronomical observation technology over the past century.
However, I’m not sure my domestic deep space observations will add anything to the collective knowledge but my experience of a peek into the cosmos certainly brings me delight.
