Meteorologist Paul Mallinson says taking pictures of the night sky with new technology has made it easier to get clearer photos of space objects from Earth.
At a recent Rebus Club AGM he showed two pictures of Clavius, a 230 kilometre diameter, 3.5 kilometre deep crater on the moon. One was an old picture on a photographic plate from 1960, taken with the 200” telescope at Mt Palomar Observatory and a recent picture he took himself with a much smaller 8” reflecting telescope in his backyard. Paul’s recent picture is clearer than the old one because of new digital camera technology.
The new technology works in two ways:
- better light detection – new cameras can capture light (photons) very much better than 1960’s film. They can take many pictures very quickly – typically 100 to 400 frames per second;
- smart picture processing – computer programmes can assess, rate and combine these many quick pictures. They pick out the best 10 to 40% or so of the images and blend them together, makings the final picture much clearer.
Two main types of sensors used in the new cameras: CCDs (charge-coupled devices) and CMOS (complementary-metal-oxide semiconductors).
Both turn light into electrical signals but they work a bit differently. CCDs are very good at capturing
light but can be slower in output; CMOS work faster through parallel data processing but can be more expensive to make.
Paul mostly takes pictures of the moon and planets. One picture compared how small the planets Jupiter and Saturn look next to the moon when seen through a telescope. He has also started taking pictures of far-away space objects like distant galaxies and nebulae. In summary, he explained, new technology has made it possible for people to take amazing space photos from their own backyards, rivalling those from big observatories in the past.
At the club AGM John Reeve from Carterton was re-elected president and Jo Laing, Martinborough, was elected secretary/treasurer for the 2025/26 financial year.
South Wairarapa Rebus Club https://southwairaraparebus.com meets in Greytown at the South Wairarapa Working Men’s Club at 9:45 a.m. on the fourth Friday of each month. Anyone in the retired age group who may be interested in our programme is welcome to come along as a visitor. Introduce yourself at the door from the West Street carpark or contact John Reeve 021560461.
