Because he lives in a small town no light pollution drawbacks Among the photos of Mehmet Ergün there are many other beauties of the Milky Way, especially celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Mars.

One of his photos was even released by NASA on May 4, 2021. “Astronomy Picture of the Day” had been chosen. If you are also interested in astronomy photography, the answers he gave to the questions we asked him on this topic will help you.

We asked Mehmet Ergün where and how he took the image, which was voted “Astronomy Image of the Day” by NASA.

“My ‘ISS (International Space Station) Passing in Front of the Sun’ picture I took was chosen as the NASA APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) picture of the day. Hubble images, NASA missions, Mars missions or ISS photos are usually shown APOD, amateur photographers are rarely given APOD.”

Equipment:
Halfha Solar Telescope (Daystar Filters)
High Speed ​​Camera (QHY174M)
Tracking System (RST-135)

Place: Einod / Germany
History: 25-04-2021

“I determined where and when the ISS will pass in front of the sun for shooting, thanks to the application (transit-finder). I planned it 2 weeks in advance. I used 35 kg equipment. (custom hydrogen alpha solar telescope)I drove the car for about 300 km.”

“I spent 10 hours on it. Everything is normal less than 1 second (0.7 sec.) was for shooting.”

How did you start this hobby? Does it have a high cost?

“This hobby worth €40 I started with a telescope. It’s a hobby that requires a lot of time/experience and expense if you want to do it at a high level.”

How much time do you spend on a photo on average? What’s the hardest thing about this job?

This can vary depending on the frame you want to shoot, but on average 10-12 hours we can say (half the recording time, half the computer processing time). I think the hardest thing about this job is to be patient. Sometimes you have to wait months or years to get the picture you have in mind.”

Air pollution and light pollution make it difficult to take good photos in many places. How can we determine the ideal location for astrophotography? Is there an application for this, or is it chosen by eye (if it is an eye, what should be paid attention to)? How is the place where you shoot?

Yes, there are apps for that Light pollution map Like it. With an application similar to Google Maps you can see how dark a place is. Rule of thumb: stay away from people, where there are people, there is artificial light.”

“As much as possible It’s important to be high and away from humidity, for example on a mountain or hill. In this way, the thick atmosphere and the layer of dust remain below us.”

“I take most of my photos on the Canary Islands in Spain. La Palma Island, I can say it is one of the best locations in Europe; perhaps the best. It is home to the world’s largest telescopes. I also shoot some of my photos from my home, observatories and mobile.”

How can those who want to get into astrophotography with a mobile phone get the best results?

• With today’s mobile phones it is possible to take wide-angle images of the Milky Way.
• Manual settings are required for use.
• The exposure time can be 20-30 seconds.
• Focus must be adjusted manually using a bright star.
• The ISO should be quite high, 1600 or higher.
• Once the phone is docked, wake it up without moving it (by voice command if possible).

Can you suggest a good telescope that doesn’t burn much to begin with?

“Generally before the start any type of telescope is suitable, if you have no experience with observing or photography I recommend starting with a cheap telescope or binoculars. As interest and desire grow over time, your knowledge will automatically increase, which will help you decide which telescope to buy.”

These were Mehmet Ergün’s recommendations. Let’s take a look at his other photos:

Partial solar eclipse

Equipment:

Halfha Solar Telescope (Daystar Filters)
High Speed ​​Camera (QHY174M)
Tracking System (RST-135)

Place: Bad Kreuznach / Germany
History: 06/10/2021

plane in front of the sun

“My solar telescope at noon on April 23, 2021. I did not expect such a view when I installed it on my balcony. When you look at the sun, a passenger plane suddenly appears. Planning such an ‘airplane pass’ is almost impossible. After some research I was able to find out the flight details. “Turkish Airlines” was the TC-JNO registered Airbus A330-343 from Istanbul to Boston (THY81D).

Equipment:

Halfha Solar Telescope (Daystar Filters)
High Speed ​​Camera (QHY174M)
Tracking System (RST-135)

Place: Bad Kreuznach / Germany
History: 23-04-2021

M31 – Andromeda galaxy

“This is my photo in the constellation Andromeda. show our neighboring galaxies. Our neighboring galaxies can also be observed with small telescopes or binoculars. Andromeda Sky Island is about 2,500,000 light-years away. Nearby are satellite galaxies M110 and M32. About two weeks ago I took this picture at the Bad Kreuznach observatory. Meanwhile, the Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant object visible to the naked eye.”

Equipment:

Sharpstar 121SDQ (678mm f5.6)
Nikon Z6 Astro cool
Tracking system (Fornax F52)
EXIF: 678mm / f5.6/ 120 x 120 sec. / ISO1600

Place: Tenerife / Spain
History: 16-10-2021

3D Moon

“The ‘dark’ and bright side of the moon and stars have different brightness and therefore different photographic settings. Frames photographed individually and put together It has produced such a result.”

Equipment:

Celestron 9.25 EHD
Tracking System (RST-135)
Pentax K1

Place: Traisen / Germany
History: 02/07/2022

Galactic Center

“Our galaxy is likely The most colorful and beautiful corner. With this photo I managed to win a major astrophotography competition in the US. There were 641 photos, 463 participants from 5 continents and 30 countries. Prizes were awarded in 10 different categories. I managed to get 1st place in the ‘Stars and Nebulae’ category.

Equipment:

Nikon Z6 Astro cool
Samyang 50mm f1.4
Tracking System (RST-135)
EXIF: 90 x 240 sec. / ISO1600 / 50mm / F3.2

Place: La Palma / Spain
History: 30-07-2021

“Air-Glow” night sky lamp

“This shot contains traces of night sky light. The sun doesn’t just light up the sky during the day. ‘sky glow’ Night sky glow, also known as night sky glow, ensures that the sky is never completely black at night. It is an extremely faint phenomenon in the sky that can only be observed or photographed on very clear nights.”

Equipment:

Pentax K1 Mark II
Pentax 15-30mm f2.8
EXIF: 15mm / F3.2 / 4×120 sec. / ISO1600 (board)

Place: La Palma / Spain
History: 07/08/2019

Great Orion Nebula

“Orion – the hunter in the sky – is probably the winter constellation and for many the most beautiful constellation. An observation is useful in any case, whether with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. 1350 light years away.”

Equipment:

Nikon D850 Astro cool
Takahashi Epsilon 130
Tracking System (RST-135)
EXIF: 40 x 300 sec. / ISO800 / f3.3 / 420mm

Place: La Palma / Spain
History: 01/10/2019

Rho Ophiuchi complex

“This part of our Milky Way is only visible from Europe to a limited extent. As such, astrophotographers only have a few hours to shoot. At southern latitudes, this motif presents a beautiful mix of different colors. Approx. 427 light years away, these nebulae are one of the closest star-forming regions.”

Equipment:

Nikon Z6 Astro cool
ASKAR ACL200 APO
Tracking System (RST-135)
EXIF: 50 x 240 sec. / ISO1600 / 200mm / F4

Place: La Palma / Spain
History: 29-07-2021

Comet Neowise

Neowise, approx. 6,700 years later will be within sight of our planet again.”

Equipment:

Nikon Z6 Astro cool
WO RedCat51
Tracking System (RST-135)
EXIF: 250mm / F4.9 / 20x45sec. / ISO1600

Place: Bad Kreuznach / Germany
History: 23/07/2020

For more you can follow him on Instagram: Mehmet Ergun

If you want to start your space observing somewhere and improve yourself, here is one of the most preferred telescopes for beginners.