We show histories from all around the world from people who shared their efforts for free knowledge in the previous edition. Let’s meet them!
Today we present Ivan Bok from Singapore, whose image of Carina Nebula in Narrowband arrived third in the “general” category and represents one of the best placement from Asia!
“I am an amateur astronomer and have been doing astrophotography for 8 years. I pursue astrophotography purely out of interest and am specialised in deep sky astrophotography, which involves photographing objects beyond the solar system which primarily consist of galaxies and nebulae.
Living in the city-state of Singapore, which was recently named the most light polluted country in the world, astrophotography is incredibly challenging due to the severe skyglow washing out most starlight. As such, I typically have to travel overseas in search of dark skies in order to capture the very faint light of distant stars. The image of the Carina Nebula is, however, an exception. This image is special to me because I photographed it from my home window. The depth of detail I could obtain under light polluted skies is due to the use of specialised filters that only allow a very narrow wavelength of light emitted by certain types of nebulae.
Through my astronomical imagery, I hope to inspire people to learn more about the wonders of the cosmos. Images of space are often beautiful, and not only in the aesthetic sense but also in terms of the intriguing physics involved. For millennia, the stars have invoked a sense of curiosity amongst mankind, and as scientists discover more about the Universe, the deeper the mysteries become and the more amazing we find the cosmos to be.”
