WHAT A STAR!

Amateur snaps wonders of the cosmos from his garden

THESE stunning images may look like they are from the Hubble Space Telescope or a major observatory. But they were taken by an amateur photographer in his back garden in Gloucestershire.

Russell Discombe, 32, used a £1,000 telescope fitted with a special £1,300 camera and a star tracker, which synchronises the equipment to the Earth’s rotation to allow for long exposure images.

It means the lecturer in sport psychology, from Cirencester, can photograph constellations millions of light years away. He said: ‘The night sky fascinates me. It is always amazing to see something and create an image that we can’t see with our eyes.

‘I started taking photos with my regular camera equipment and a cheap star tracker. I was instantly hooked and so decided to invest in a telescope, bigger star tracker and an astro camera. Lockdown gave me the perfect opportunity to learn how it worked.’

Stunning: The Bubble Nebula, 11,000 light years away Spiral: Bode’s Galaxy is half the size of the Milky Way Watcher of the skies: Russell Discombe with his telescope and camera. Main picture: The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula