Son inspires dad to reach for the stars with snaps of space
ADAD who was inspired to buy a telescope during lockdown by his six-year-old son is now taking these mesmerising snaps of space from his back garden.
Ian Phillips, 45, only took up astrophotography in October last year when his son asked for a telescope.
Having studied the stars with his own father and grandfather, Ian soon rediscovered his interest in astronomy and purchased a telescope for himself.
The father of five has since gone on to take incredibly detailed photos of faraway galaxies, nebulas, and whirlpools.
Ian, an insurance broker from Worle, North Somerset, said: “I’ve been working at home but also having the children at home so when you’re trying to work its quite stressful.
“Being confined to the house for almost 24 hours a day – it’s been a fantastic form of escapism, just to completely switch off.
“For example, when you’re looking at the Andromeda galaxy – you’re looking 2.5 million years in the past.
“The light I catch left 2.5 million years ago. It really is mind-blowing.”
Ian’s son William asked for a telescope for his birthday after reading his favourite book – There’s a Shark in the Park – which tells the story of a boy who has a brand new toy telescope.
Ian said: “I got one for my son originally for his birthday in June last year – but I’ve been interested in astronomy and space for literally as long as I can remember. “Then I saw people posting pictures on Facebook and wondered if that was something I could
❝ Being confined to the house for almost 24 hours a day – it’s been a fantastic form of escapism ... when you’re looking at the Andromeda galaxy – you’re looking 2.5 million years in the past. The light I catch left 2.5 million years ago. It really is mind-blowing.
do.
“I bought my son a cheap one and bought myself a better telescope that I could attach a camera to – and the rest is history.
“I shared my images on Facebook on a local group and the interest was just amazing.”
Ian said his favourite photograph was of the Horsehead nebula – a dark cloud of dust and gas approximately 1,500 light-years away from Earth.
Ian Phillips