Shining a Light on the Night Sky with @dylan_odonnell_
To see more of Dylan’s out of this world astrophotography, follow @dylan_odonnell_ on Instagram.
After his family goes to sleep, Dylan O’Donnell (@dylan_odonnell_) goes outside and looks at the stars. The 36-year-old self-proclaimed computer nerd and business owner from Byron Bay, in the easternmost point of Australia, has immersed himself in the precision-driven craft of astrophotography after having an image of Comet McNaught published in a local newspaper. Dylan shares his solar, planetary and deep space pictures, hoping to educate and inspire others who are curious about space.
“I think one of the most amazing things I saw was Comet McNaught over inland Australia, which has a fairly dark sky anyway. And back then I only had my DSLR camera. And I took a photo of it. And it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen with my own eyes,” says Dylan. Since then he has invested in the equipment and time to learn how to perfect his craft. “I think people have the idea that all we’re doing is going up to a telescope and putting a camera on the back and just clicking the button, as you would take a normal photo,” he says, pointing out that the process involves longer exposures, sometimes up to 20 minutes at a time, and “stacking” images. “That allows you to draw out the detail that you wouldn’t normally see,” he explains.
This year is the International Year of Light, an initiative to raise awareness of the importance of light and optical technologies, but for Dylan and fellow astronomers it’s a moment to advocate against light pollution. “What we do is all about capturing light and capturing photons. A lot of the dark-sky advocates also use this time to highlight the fact that sometimes we can’t see the light from space because it’s just not dark enough here on Earth,” says Dylan.
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