Whittlesey astrophotography provides lockdown escape

The Orion Nebula is the closest large star-forming region to Earth and is best observed during January, says NASA

Many of us looked to the heavens during the Covid lockdowns: some in exasperation, and others in the hope of divine inspiration. But for lifelong astronomy fan Roger Allpress, not going out gave him the perfect excuse to learn how to photograph the night sky.

"I've only been an astrophotographer for the last 12 months. It's something I've always wanted to do but never had the time until the pandemic stopped us going out, so then I had the time to develop my skills," he said.

The Messier 101 is often called the Pinwheel galaxy. At 200,000 light-years across, it is about twice the size of the Milky Way galaxy, says NASA

Mr Allpress, who lives on the outskirts of Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire, first picked up a telescope aged seven, a shared experience with his grandfather.

Fifty years on, he is now sharing his digital images of the heavens with hundreds of people across social media.

"My equipment is basically a telescope with a digital camera attached to it, so it in effect becomes the camera lens. The picture is then created by layering between 30 to 60 images on top of each other - each taken using roughly two minutes of exposure," explains Mr Allpress

"You do have to wait for a night when it'll be clear of cloud for three or four hours - the last few days have been dreadful for trying to get any new pictures," says Mr Allpress. "Living on the edge of Whittlesey I'm fortunate enough not to be too bothered by light pollution from the town."

"My personal favourite is probably the horsehead nebula [part of the NCG 2024 Flame nebula]. It's strikingly like a horse but the overall image is so bright with a lot of detail in it," says Mr Allpress

"When you see the images coming through that you just can't see with the naked eye it's just 'wow' as you look at literally a different world," says Mr Allpress. "To look at something like the Andromeda galaxy is astonishing." The Andromeda galaxy, or M31, is our Milky Way's largest galactic neighbour

"It's always worth getting in touch with your local astronomy society as they are a great source of help in getting started and will often have meetings you can attend," says Mr Allpress

All images copyright Roger Allpress