The Andromeda Galaxy
The Cygnus region from Ladakh, India
For the past two years, Navaneeth Unnikrishnan has been capturing the beauty of the universe from his home in Kerala State.
“In India there are a lot of dark skies, especially the Himalayan region that has one of the best skies in the world.”
Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle
Rising moon
Navanneth’s favourite galactic objects to photograph are comets and nebulae.
“Nebulae are interesting pieces of art by the universe.”
Trifid Nebula from Karnataka, India
Saturn, Antares and Rho Ophiuchus, Kerala, India
Long captivated by space, Navaneeth always thought the only way to observe deep space was through high-end telescopes in observatories. He was completely unaware of the world of astrophotography until a little long-exposure experimentation with the Milky Way in his backyard had him hooked.
“Astrophotography is imaging the beauty of the universe that we don’t get to witness with our naked eyes,” says Navaneeth.
“Technically we are imaging the past, the light that was emitted millions of years ago.”
The Milky Way at 4am from Kasargod, India
Selfie under stars, Narkanda, India
Navaneeth says astrophotography is one of the most technically challenging forms of photography. Every stage must be perfect, from tracking to focus, from exposure to processing the image.
Telescope and the Milky Way, Ladakh, India
For budding astrophotographers, Navaneeth recommends joining an astronomy club to gain a basic understanding of the night sky.
Try to master the technical aspects of using your camera in manual mode and for those who can’t afford a costly tracking mount, wide-angle lenses are a great alternative.
Star trails over the Himalayan Chandra Telescope
Under the Milky Way
Lagoon Nebula and Trifid Nebula from Bangalore, India
The Antares region from Ladakh, India
Telescope and the Milky Way, Ladakh, India
