Capturing the Night Sky

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To see a video of Block in action click on picture above to view video of the cloudy night program on Mt Lemmon.

By Donna L. Hull • Photography By Jennifer Polixenni Brankin

PHOTO SLIDESHOW VIDEO

Adam Block has had stars in his eyes ever since he began gazing at the night sky as a toddler. Now an astrophotographer, Block is capturing those stars for others to see.

Block’s interest in astrophotography started at age 11 when he attached a Pentax film camera to an 8” Celestron telescope and discovered that the camera lens captures images the human eye can’t see.

Although his equipment and techniques have changed, Block still looks to the sky with the same youthful exuberance as he did when he was a child. Now, in place of the Pentax, Block employs a CCD camera attached to a 24” RC Optical Systems telescope. For five to ten hours, the camera’s shutter remains open, collecting a series of images while the telescope tracks the object Block wants to photograph.

Block, program coordinator at the University of Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon Sky Center says, “It’s quite an investment of time to get these images.” Using the scientific data the camera collects, Block spends five to ten more hours mixing science with art — he has to decide which aspect of the image to emphasize such as brightness or depth. “Each picture tells a story and highlighting a certain aspect of an object, whether it be a nebula or another galaxy, is part of the fun,” Block explains. The same scientific data can result in very different interpretations, depending on what quality the astrophotograher chooses to emphasize.

Block’s photos have even gained the attention of NASA, who selected a Block picture of the Witch’s Broom Nebula as “Picture of the Day” on August 19, 2008. He’s also been named to astrophotography’s Hall of Fame sponsored by Santa Barbara Instrument Group.

When not shooting, Block is often sharing his love of the sky with others through his image-processing workshop, “Making Every Pixel Count,” at Mt. Lemmon Sky Center where participants spend three days on the mountain learning how to make their own images of the universe. Whether through his photos, his class or even just a guided look at the night sky, Adam Block will put the stars in your eyes, too.

For more information on Mt. Lemmon’s SkyNights, visit skycenter.arizona.edu.

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