Space Pictures Taken From Garden Shed
An amateur stargazer has stunned astronomers around the
world with his photographs of the universe – taken from his
garden shed.
Published: 8:13AM GMT 21 Jan
2010
Amateur astronomer Peter Shah who has taken astonishing shots
of the universe
from his garden shed Photo: WALES NEWS SERVICE
Peter Shah, 38, cut a hole in the roof of his wooden shed and
set up his modest eight-inch telescope inside. After months
of patiently waiting for the right moment he emerged with a
series of striking images of the Milky Way. His photographs
of a vivid variety of star clusters light years from Earth
have been compared to the images taken from the £2.5 billion
Hubble space telescope. But it cost Mr Shah just £20,000 to
equip his garden shed with a telescope linked to his home
computer. He said: "Most men like to potter about in their
garden shed – but mine is a bit more high tech than most. "I
have fitted it with a sliding roof so I can sit in comfort
and look at the heavens. I have a very modest set up but it
just goes to show that a window to the universe is there for
all of us – even with the smallest budgets. "I had to be
patient and take the images over a period of several months
because the skies in Britain are often clouded over and you
need clear conditions." Office worker Mr Shah, who lives in a
hillside bungalow at Meifod, near Welshpool, Powys, has been
an avid astronomer since his mother bought him a £5 telescope
when he was seven. Images in his collection include the
Monkey's head nebula, M33 Pinwheel Galaxy, Andromeda Galaxy
and the Flaming Star Nebula. The superb photos, each made up
of about 30 frames, are being published in a new book
entitled Mirror Image. Mr Shah’s wife Lisa has supported him
through his long nights of stargazing – supplying endless
cups of coffee. His images have been brought together for the
first time in a book called Mirror Image. Images from the
book and other photographs can be viewed at
http://www.astropix.co.uk
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