Our First Mission

Andrew Abban joins from the Boston area to talk about his new monochrome refractor setup, the off-axis guider issues he ran into on first light, and the exoplanet transit research he's been inspired to do through a program at a local college. We get into what citizen science actually looks like from a backyard, why monochrome imaging demands calibration frames, and the difference between imaging for art vs. imaging for science. Plus we're all hyped for the Black Forest star party at Cherry Springs in September, Nick has never once used a calibration frame, and Brett gets philosophical about resource extraction.Cosmic Yet Brave: Nick has never used a calibration frame in his life. Brett questions whether a system based on extracting resources for profit can end well. Andrew is brave for juggling astrophotography, web design clients, school, and work all at once.Find Andrew at @apa_astro on Instagram.

Jake Rzonca joins from Kenosha, Wisconsin to talk about starting astrophotography during COVID with a DSLR and a stock lens. We talk about how he turned his bedroom into an observatory (popping the screen out to shoot Orion through the window), the DeepSkyStacker to Photoshop pipeline, and the Velcro vs. zip tie debate for cable management. Plus we compare notes on SSD prices doubling overnight, the pain of reprocessing old data and getting a completely different result, and Kennedy Space Center trips. Jake's cosmic yet brave: the Bears are leaving Chicago. Nick wants to take down the chemtrail people. Brett wants Costco to revoke cart privileges.Find Jake at @jakeryan_astro on Instagram.

Willie Stickley joins from Cleveland, Ohio to talk about what happens when a full-time photographer points a camera at the night sky. We get into his Faintest and Furthest project (34 hours on a ghost planetary nebula near Andromeda), 10-minute subs on an AM5, and why he thinks narrowband is where the real art lives. Plus we talk collaborative imaging with friends at Observatory Park, the PixInsight learning curve, concert photography parallels to astrophotography, and whether smart telescopes are good for the hobby. Nick believes in Bigfoot.

Our first international guest! Liz from @downunderstars joins from Australia to talk about what astrophotography looks like from the southern hemisphere. We get into her origin story (discovering the N on the tripod needs to face south), southern sky objects we've never even heard of, and her new gig building observatories for Rent An Observatory. Plus Liz is working on a 24-panel mosaic of the Large Magellanic Cloud, we find out the southern hemisphere can only do the "Messier 100," and the huntsman spider may not be as scary as we thought.Cosmic Yet Brave: Liz calls out the toxicity on Facebook. Brett is over entropy. Nick says galaxy season is overrated.Find Liz at @downunderstars on Instagram and downunderstars.com.au. Check out Rent An Observatory at rentanobservatory.com.au.

Brett and Nick are joined by Thorne (@ransomobservatory), astrophotographer and US ambassador for Starpoint Australis, to talk dual telescope setups, portable observatories, and the star party circuit from Cherry Springs to West Virginia to Canada. Thorne breaks down how he runs two 8-inch RASAs on one mount to double his integration time, and why he goes after the faintest targets he can find under dark skies. Plus: the etiquette of light at star parties, Brett gets philosophical about the incompleteness of astronomical data, and Nick can't find five-inch inseam gym shorts to show off his new tattoo.

Brett and Nick welcome their first guest, Matt Molitor (@astro_dad86), to talk light pollution from a Chicago rooftop vs. the suburbs, what it's like imaging under truly dark skies at Cherry Springs, and how they all got started in astrophotography with cell phones and DSLRs. Plus: flat Earthers as a "Cosmic, yet Brave," Nick's astrophotography tattoo, and an asteroid that's as close as the moon.

Brett and Nick react to the Artemis II launch, compare it to the Apollo era, and debate whether we'd be on Mars by now if space funding had kept up. Plus: International Dark Sky Week, galaxy season imaging updates, and a cosmic yet brave take on the Billboard charts.

Join Nick and Brett as they explore the fascinating topics of extraterrestrial life, cosmic phenomena, and the mysteries of the universe. This episode delves into astrophotography, the possibility of alien visitors, and the profound questions about our place in the cosmos.

Brett and Nick give a beginner-friendly overview of astrophotography - talking about the weather, planning, gear, imaging, and processing - all while keeping it a conversation, not a course! They discuss their own journeys and workflows in astrophotography and hope to inspire others to look up at the night sky.

In this first episode, Nick and Brett kick off their mission to bring astrophotography into the mainstream. They share how they got started, how their friendship began, and how this podcast came to be, setting the stage for a series built around the beauty and passion of astrophotography and outer space.