STEVE COATES
Location: Ocala, Florida
Telescope: Explore Scientific ED APO 127 “It was after I bought my first telescope back in 2010 that I began pursuing my hobby in astrophotography. Before I made my purchase, I had never even looked through a telescope and had never really taken many photographs. I always enjoyed looking at images in astronomy magazines, as well as those taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and was keen to recreate something similar. I learned how to shoot and process my images of the night sky by scrolling through multiple websites for advice, as well as through much trial and error. At first I was pleased with my images of Solar System targets, but I quickly found myself photographing galaxies and nebulae with great success.”