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| ExploraDome Complete Observatory Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| Astro Haven Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| Explore Lens Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| Astronomical Ties Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| Explore Scientific Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| iOptron Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| High Point Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2014 |
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| NYC Lunar Eclipse December 21, 2010 |
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| Chelyabinsk Meteorite Fragments NEAF2013 |
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| Northeast Astronomy Forum NEAF 2013 |
This Zodiacal Light astrophotography image was captured from Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev Desert, Israel, one of the darkest and driest locations in the region. Under pristine desert skies, the zodiacal light appeared as a faint, soft triangular glow rising from the horizon along the ecliptic.
During the observation near Mitzpe Ramon, the faint zodiacal glow was pointed out by local astronomy guide Ira Machefsky, after which the delicate triangular light became clearly visible against the dark desert sky.
Unlike the Milky Way, zodiacal light does not originate from stars, but from sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust distributed throughout the inner Solar System. From truly dark locations such as the Negev Desert, this subtle phenomenon can be detected visually as well as photographically.
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| Zodiacal Light over the Negev Desert near Mitzpe Ramon – Israel astrophotography |
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Tracking: Tripod (static astrophotography)
Location: Mitzpe Ramon, Negev Desert, Israel
Zodiacal light is best observed under exceptionally dark skies, far from artificial light sources. Unlike airglow or the Milky Way, it follows the ecliptic plane and appears seasonally depending on hemisphere.
Desert environments such as Mitzpe Ramon provide ideal conditions due to low humidity, minimal aerosols, and extremely low light pollution.
Zodiacal light remains one of the most delicate and rewarding night-sky phenomena, revealing the structure of our Solar System through reflected sunlight.
Israel offers a variety of locations for astrophotography and stargazing, from the dark skies of the Negev Desert to northern landscapes near the Galilee. Despite the country’s relatively small size, different regions provide interesting opportunities to photograph the night sky.
This post shows several examples of astrophotography from Israel, including images captured in the Negev Desert near Mitzpe Ramon, around the Weizmann Institute, and in northern Israel near Kfar Szold Kibbutz. Objects visible in these images include the Orion constellation, Sirius in Canis Major, and the beautiful Pleiades (Seven Sisters) star cluster.
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| Astrophotography Israel - Night Sky of Mitzpe Ramon in Negev Desert |
Camera: Canon 40D
Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM (Ultra Wide Angle)
Mount: Tripod
Exposure: 15 seconds
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 1600
Processing: Adobe Photoshop
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| Orion Constellation - Israel astrophotography from Negev Desert |
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| Israel Astrophotography - Astronomy star tour in Negev Desert |
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| Sunrise - Negev Desert - Mitzpe Ramon |
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| Weizmann institute - night sky |
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| Pleiades - Seven Sisters - Israel Astrophotograph |
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| Sirius Canis Major Constellation Orion Israel astrophotography from Kfar Szold Kibbutz |
From the desert skies of the Negev to the northern landscapes of Galilee, Israel provides many opportunities for astrophotography. Even within a small geographic area, different locations reveal unique views of the night sky, from bright constellations like Orion to stars like Sirius and beautiful clusters such as the Pleiades.
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| Astronomy Forum Astrophotography Night Scape Award - Personalized certificate |
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| Astrophotography Contest -Announcing the winners |
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| Tripod Digital Astrophotography - Brooklyn Astronomy - Canon Ultra Wide Angle Lens EF 16 35mm f2.8L II |
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| Digital SLR Astrophotography with Fixed Tripod |
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| DSLR Astrophotography - NYC Astronomy - Fixed Tripod |
This astrophotography collage shows a small collection of images representing different types of astronomical photography: solar and lunar eclipses, planetary imaging, deep sky objects, the Milky Way, aurora borealis, and astrophotography equipment.
The collage also illustrates some of the equipment used for capturing these images, including a Celestron NexStar 4SE telescope, Canon EOS DSLR cameras, astronomy webcams, and large astronomical binoculars. Different astronomical targets require different techniques — from long-exposure DSLR photography for wide-field night landscapes to high-frame-rate webcam imaging for planets like Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.
Over the years I have experimented with multiple astrophotography methods: planetary imaging using RegiStax stacking, solar imaging with a Coronado SolarMax telescope, wide-field Milky Way photography, and eclipse photography. This collage represents some of those early experiments and observations.
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| Astrophotography Equipment DSLR Webcam Collage – Planetary, Solar and Night Sky Astrophotography |
Most of these images were captured from New York City or nearby locations, demonstrating that interesting astrophotography is possible even under light-polluted skies. Other images were taken from darker locations such as national parks and remote observing sites.
This collage shows how different branches of astrophotography — planetary, solar, deep-sky, night landscape, and atmospheric phenomena — can all be captured with relatively modest amateur equipment. From photographing the rings of Saturn and the cloud belts of Jupiter to capturing the Milky Way over dark landscapes, astrophotography allows us to explore the universe from our own planet.
These photographs demonstrate the challenges and possibilities of urban astrophotography under extreme light pollution in New York City. All images were taken from Brooklyn, where night skies are heavily affected by artificial lighting and fall into the Bortle Scale Class 9 (inner-city sky).
In the first image, photographed from my backyard at night, you can see a simple foreground of polls and a wire silhouetted against the sky. Above them are the Orion constellation and the Pleiades star cluster. The bright, washed-out background clearly shows the impact of severe light pollution, which reduces contrast and limits the number of visible stars.
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| Urban Astrophotography - NYC astronomy - Orion Constellation |
The second image shows the Lyra constellation. Here, the urban foreground was minimized, allowing the stars themselves to stand out more clearly. I added constellation annotations in Photoshop to help identify the star pattern — a useful technique when imaging from bright city environments.
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| Urban Astrophotography NYC - Lyra Constellation |
In the third image, the Cassiopeia constellation is visible, again with annotations added for clarity. Even under heavy light pollution, some prominent constellations can still be captured from Brooklyn, though only the brightest stars are detectable.
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| Cassiopeia constellation - Urban Astronomy- Brooklyn Astrophotography |
The final image is a panoramic night view of Manhattan photographed from Brooklyn Bridge Park. Both the Brooklyn Bridge (closer) and the Manhattan Bridge are visible, along with the illuminated Financial District and its reflections on the water.
Although a few bright points appear in the sky in this last image, they are not stars. Under Bortle Class 9 conditions, no recognizable constellations are visible above Manhattan. Most of these bright points are likely airplanes moving through the night sky rather than astronomical objects.
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| Brooklyn astronomy - Manhattan panorama at night |
This post illustrates how urban astrophotography requires adjusted expectations — focusing on bright constellations, wide-field compositions, and creative framing — while also highlighting the dramatic contrast between natural night skies and the artificial glow of a major city.
Urban vs. Dark Sky: In heavily light-polluted cities like New York (Bortle Class 9), only first-magnitude stars are visible to the naked eye, while deep-sky objects are largely washed out by skyglow. In contrast, truly dark locations (Bortle Class 1–2), such as remote deserts or dark-sky parks, reveal a celestial masterpiece: thousands of stars, the full structure of the Milky Way, and faint nebulae and galaxies that are completely invisible from urban environments. The difference highlights how dramatically artificial lighting alters our human connection to the cosmos.
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| Brooklyn Astronomy - Andromeda Galaxy from Tripod - Canon 40D |
Many of my astrophotography projects take place around the world. Traveling to dark sky locations often requires long flights across continents and oceans. During these flights I frequently photograph the sky, clouds, and sunrise or sunset from the airplane window.
These moments are interesting for an astrophotographer because they reveal the atmosphere from above: layers of clouds, the horizon of Earth, and intense twilight colors created by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere. In a sense, the journey to a dark sky location begins long before the telescope is set up — sometimes already at 35,000 feet above the Earth.
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| Sky and Clouds from Airplane |
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| Sunset from airplane over New York – atmospheric sky photography |
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| Sunset - East Coast of the United States from airplane, Astrophotography |
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| Photos from Airplane - Europe sunrise |
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| Clouds from airplane |
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| View from airplane – Earth sunrise above the horizon |
Many of the destinations for these flights later became locations for my night sky photography. After landing and reaching dark sky areas, the same Sun that creates these colorful sunsets eventually disappears below the horizon, revealing the stars, constellations, and the Milky Way that are the main subjects of astrophotography.
Photography from an airplane offers a unique perspective on Earth's atmosphere and the interaction between sunlight, clouds, and the horizon. For an astrophotographer, these flights are not only part of the journey, but also part of the sky experience itself.
These flights have taken me to some of the best dark sky locations on Earth including the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Galápagos Islands, Yellowstone National Park, Cherry Springs State Park, and Tanzania in East Africa.
Many of my astrophotography projects take place in different parts of the world. Flights like the ones shown above are often the beginning of a journey to dark sky locations where the Milky Way, constellations, and other night sky phenomena can be photographed.
The Zhumell 20x80mm SuperGiant Astronomy Binoculars are impressive mainly because of their sheer size. An 80mm objective lens is enormous for binoculars and collects a surprising amount of light for wide-field astronomical observing.
In the photos below, the Zhumell 20x80mm binoculars are shown in two different setups. In some images, they are placed side-by-side with a Celestron NexStar 4SE telescope for direct size comparison. In others, the binoculars are mounted on a tripod, which is the typical configuration for stable wide-field observing. Together, these setups give a clear sense of both scale and practical use.
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| Zhumell 20x80mm SuperGiant Astronomy Binoculars and Celestron 4SE |
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| Zhumell 20x80mm and Celestron 4SE |
Unlike telescopes, large astronomy binoculars offer a wide field of view and natural, two-eye observing. With 20× magnification and large 80mm objectives, the Zhumell SuperGiants are especially effective for:
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| SuperGiant Astronomy Binoculars |
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| 20x80mm SuperGiant Astronomy Binocular |
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| ET Astrophotography - Astronomical Binocular and Super Moon |
In the first photo, the binoculars are mounted piggyback on the Celestron NexStar 4SE, a setup I jokingly called the “Mickey Mouse setup.”
The NexStar 4SE’s automated tracking allows the binoculars to follow the sky smoothly, making it possible to observe wide fields without manually moving a heavy binocular mount. It’s simple, unconventional, and surprisingly effective.
Brooklyn, New York City — a place where artificial light dominates the night, yet the sky never completely disappears. These winter images were captured in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, during the famous Christmas light season.
Photographed with a Canon EOS 40D and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, this session blends urban nightscape photography with a touch of astronomy — demonstrating that even under Bortle Class 9 skies, the stars still fight through the glow.
New York City is one of the brightest metropolitan areas in the world. Light pollution washes out most deep-sky objects, yet bright constellations like Orion remain visible during clear winter nights.
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| Brooklyn in the night lights, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM |
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| Brooklyn at night, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM |
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| Orion Constellation over Brooklyn — urban astronomy under Bortle Class 9 skies |
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| Brooklyn at Night, NYC night sky |
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| Brooklyn Moonrise |
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| NYC Astronomy - Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and Night Sky |
These photographs were not planned as an astrophotography session. They were taken during a winter evening walk through Dyker Heights while photographing the famous Brooklyn Christmas lights.
The same camera and ultra-wide lens I often use for night sky work — the Canon EOS 40D with the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM — simply happened to be in my hands. And as often happens with wide, fast lenses pointed upward, a few stars quietly entered the frame.
Even in one of the brightest areas of New York City, the winter sky still makes an appearance. Orion rises above the rooftops, the Moon climbs over Brooklyn, and city lights blend with faint celestial light.
The final image of the Brooklyn Bridge follows the same idea — a night scene first, with the sky included naturally. Not a dedicated astronomy setup, just observing what the night offers.
Sometimes urban night photography and astronomy meet by accident — and that quiet intersection is part of the charm.
In March 2013, I went out to Brooklyn hoping to photograph Comet PANSTARRS (C/2011 L4). Urban skies and timing were not on my side, and the comet never became visible from my location. Instead, the evening delivered something else — a dramatic sunset over New York City.
These images capture the transition from daylight to night as seen from Brooklyn, New York City, with the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge silhouetted against vivid clouds and fading twilight. Even when astrophotography plans fail, the sky often offers a different reward.
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| Brooklyn Sunset, Astronomy and Astrophotography, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM |
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| NYC Sunset (as seen in Brooklyn), Verrazano Bridge, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, Astronomy and Astrophotography |
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| Sunset as seen in Brooklyn (NYC), Verrazano Bridge, Astronomy and Astrophotography, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM |
Gear: Canon EOS DSLR + Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Location: Brooklyn, New York City
Date: March 2013
Note: A few years later, from the same Brooklyn location, conditions were much better and I was finally able to photograph a comet. See Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) visible in NYC .
