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Crescent Nebula—May 2009 Astrophotography is the practice of sitting outside in the dark, getting bitten by a myriad bugs while you attempt to capture images of faintly glowing objects in the sky. Side effects include but are not limited to: empty wallet, sleeplessness, and drooling over optical equipment you can't afford. Astronomy in southern California is strong, for amateurs and professionals alike. The region crackles with astronomical activity showcased in events like the RTMC Astronomy Expo, Julian Starfest, Nightfall, PATS, SCAE and organizations such as JPL, CalTech, the Mt. Wilson Institute, MWOA, RAS, SDAA, LAAS, OCA, and many others. For my part, I frequent various mountain and desert areas of southern California to try my hand at astrophotography—taking pictures of the night sky with star-tracking equipment, telescopes, and cameras. My degree of success varies from night to night. Most Recent Photos 05/25/09: The Crescent Nebula from the 2009 RTMC Astronomy Expo. 03/28/09: The Butterfly Nebula flutters by the star Sadr in Cygnus. 01/16/09: No quarter needed to view the Pacman Nebula from Ontario. 12/31/08: New Year's Eve grouping of the Moon, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter. Please visit the Gallery for more astrophotographs shot from California. Unauthorized reproduction of any images contained within this site is strictly prohibited. © 2005- www.californiastars.net. All rights reserved.		IYA 2009! The International Year of Astronomy is in full swing! Do your part to learn about the universe or to teach others about it. Find out more at these IYA sponsor sites: NASA ASP NOAO Astronomical League AAVSO National Science Foundation New Yahoo! Group Join the new "So Cal Astro Photo" Yahoo group for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers in southern California. GO THERE NOW >