[Starry Story] Giacomo PRO’(Italy)
[Starry Story] Giacomo PRO’ (Italy)
►Introduction
Hi, my name is Giacomo Pro', I'm 47 years old. I work for the Italian Ministry of Defense and live in Torricella, a small town in Southern Italy.
►Astrophotography Beginnings
Since I was a child I have always been passionate about astronomy, my parents gave me the first telescope at the age of 10, practically a toy, but it ignited my attraction for the stars and the universe. As a boy, with the savings from summer jobs, I bought a 114/910 mm Newtonian on a simple manual equatorial mount that kept me company on starry nights for a long time and is still in my possession.
Unfortunately, as an adult, due to various work and non-work commitments, I had somewhat put aside my passion for the stars.
Everything turned on again in the summer of 2020 with the passage of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). It was precisely that event that prompted me to try to photograph the night sky and its wonders. I started from scratch with reflex and tripod, I immersed myself in articles, tutorials and manuals, studying and trying, making mistakes and starting over. As my passion grew, I started buying ever more suitable and sophisticated equipment. This led me to gain experience and consequently obtain more satisfactory results each time.
IC 348
Light 70 x 600” filter: Optolong L-Pro
Light 39 x 600” filter: Optolong UV/IR cut
Camera: Asi 294 mc pro
Telescope: Sharpstar 94 EDPH reduced to 410mm F/4.4 Filter
Shots: 10/2022
►My equipment:
Cameras: Asi 294 mc pro - Asi 224 mc color - Asi 120 MM mini - Nikon d3100 mod.
Telescope: Sharpstar Triplet 94 EDPH APO - GSO newton 200/800 - Samyang 135 F/2
Mount: Skywatcher Eq 6-r Pro - iOptron SkyGuider Pro
Acquisitione: Asiair Plus
Optolong filters: L-pro, L-Ehnance, L-Extreme, L-Ultimate, Uv/Ir Cut, kit SHO 3nm
Photometer SQM
M-8 M-20
Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses: Sharpstar 94EDPH
Imaging Cameras: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Mounts: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filters: Optolong L-eNhance 2" · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
Software: ZWO ASIAIR
Sh2-157 NGC 7635 Sh2-161 M52 NGC7510
Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses: Sharpstar 94EDPH
Imaging Cameras: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Mounts: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filters: Optolong L-eNhance 2" · Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
Software: ZWO ASIAIR
M 51
Light 550 x 60” filter: Optolong L-Pro
Camera: Asi 224 mc
Telescope: GSO 200/800 f/4 + coma corrector 1X
Shots: 03/2023
► Team Gruppo Astrofili del Salento
An important step that had a very positive impact on my astrophotographic work was to join the boys and girls of the Gruppo Astrofili del Salento Team. The team is very active in the astrophotographic, observational and above all informative field, in addition, they are part of the team very good and experienced amateur astronomers who share a passion for the beauties of the universe. I always advise all those who want to approach this wonderful hobby to contact a team or association of amateur astronomers in their area. Having people with experience helps to overcome any type of problem that may arise during a photographic or observing session, and receiving the right advice on equipment and various purchases saves money and time. Being part of a group is also important after having acquired our lights, when you get to the PC to process our photos, also in this case the advice of a more expert person will certainly make the result better and more satisfying to the full advantage for your own experience.
Facebook link: G.A.S. Gruppo Astrofili del Salento | Facebook
►Optolong Calendar 2023
This year two of my works were chosen for Optolong's 2023 corporate calendar, I was really excited about it.
SH2-126
Light 190 x 300” filter: Optolong L-Pro
Light 60 x 300” filter: Optolong Ha 3nm
Camera: Asi 294 mc pro
Telescope: Samyang 135 mm F/2.8
Shots: 09/2022
SH2-132
Light 73 x 600” filter: Optolong L-Ultimate
Camera: Asi 294 mc pro
Telescope: Sharpstar 94 EDPH reduced to 410 mm F/4.4
Shots: 10/2022
►Light pollution
Light pollution is a widespread problem but little tackled by the institutions and we amateur astronomers, who always have our eyes turned to the sky, are the ones who have noticed it for a long time and suffer the most from it. Being an itinerant astrophotographer I am always looking for the best sky and sometimes, when possible, unfortunately I have to travel several kilometers to get away from inhabited centres, sometimes even for hundreds of kilometres, perhaps to reach fairly isolated or mountainous areas where light pollution it is much less present and the sky is much darker. Certainly the Optolong filters do an impeccable job in many different situations, but a good quality of the sky always helps to obtain an excellent astrophotographic job. Apart from some areas of our planet, the situation has gotten much worse over the years and I hope that one day the Governments will be able to find a common solution to at least prevent the situation from worsening further.
IC-2177
Light 51 x 600” filter: Optolong L-Ultimate
Camera: Asi 294 mc pro
Telescope: Sharpstar 94 EDPH reduced to 410 mm F/4.4
Shots: 02/2023
►Loving Astronomy
I love the beauties of the universe and I love spending time in the silence of the night under a starry sky, in addition, practicing astrophotography always gives me a sense of peace and amplifies the attachment that man should have towards nature above all when we listen to the sounds of the night, when we smell the scents of the shooting location, when we look at the sky that changes as the hours go by, when we admire the sunset while assembling the equipment before the photo session or when we wait for the first light of dawn, when we try to warm up with a cup of hot tea in the cold of the night, and then chat in the middle of the night with guys who share your same passion.
At the end of each session I go home tired, but I take all these pleasant sensations with me, hoping to be able to put them all together in a nice astronomical photo.
Collage of some of my works, come and find me on my social networks.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giacomo.pro/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giacomopro76/
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/GiacomoPro76/
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/195457205@N03/
I wish you starry nights.
A hug from Italy.
Photo & Article: Giacomo Pro'
