Hawthorne Deep Sky Observatory

01/09/2026

Have You Seen the “Heart” of the Dragon Egg?

Deep in the cosmic wilderness lies something that looks almost mythical — the glowing heart of a Dragon’s Egg.

This close-up of the Dragon Nebula reveals a turbulent landscape of glowing hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur, sculpted by powerful stellar winds and intense radiation. But look closely… can you see the egg hidden within the clouds?

And perhaps there is a reason it has remained hidden.

Standing guard nearby is Ara — the Frighting Dragon, its fiery presence seemingly protecting this ancient cosmic treasure from anyone who dares to come too close.

Of course, this is our imagination speaking. In reality, these breathtaking structures are vast clouds of gas and dust where stars are being born. But sometimes the Universe creates shapes so extraordinary that mythology seems almost inevitable.

🔭 Captured from Brisbane skies with my Celestron EdgeHD 11"

Imaging setup:
• EdgeHD 11" + 0.7× focal reducer
• ASI2600MM Pro
• LRGB + 3nm SHO filters
• OAG guiding
• EQ6-R Pro mount

Acquisition:
🔴 Hα — 28 × 600s
🔵 OIII — 23 × 600s
🟡 SII — 12 × 600s
RGB for stars.

Total integration: 10.5 hours

A dragon, an egg and a cosmic nursery — all hidden in the depths of our Universe.

26/08/2026

The Universe is Coming to Life — and the first artworks are arriving!

I’m excited to share a little behind-the-scenes glimpse as the large canvas prints for my upcoming Cosmic Wonders astrophotography exhibition begin to arrive.

Captured from Queensland skies and beyond, these images reveal galaxies, nebulae and other cosmic wonders in extraordinary detail — transformed into large-format artworks designed not only for astronomy enthusiasts, but also for homes, offices, hospitality spaces and interior design projects.

📅 12 & 13 September 2026
📍 Griffith University, South Bank, Brisbane
✨ Come and experience the Universe beyond the screen — in a gallery setting.

🎟️ Free registration via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/cosmic-perspectives-exhibition-tickets-1995283179702?

If you love astronomy, photography, science or beautiful contemporary interiors, I’d love to see you there.

The journey from capturing photons to creating fine-art prints has begun!

26/08/2026

The moon and Australian iconic birds - Kookaburra tonight. 😀
iPhone capture

19/08/2026

Milky Way Arch Over the Red Bridge V2
A magical Queensland night beneath a truly dark sky.
This weekend I captured the Milky Way arch rising over Stanthorpe’s historic Red Bridge, also known as the Old Railway Bridge, dating back to the 1800s.
This is a multi-panel mosaic and composite nightscape, combining a detailed panorama of the Milky Way with a separately captured foreground to create the final scene.
What makes this capture particularly special is that it was achieved locally in Queensland under dark skies, using an unmodified Nikon Z6II — without a tracking mount. Just careful planning, multiple exposures and a lot of patience under the stars.
A little piece of our Queensland night sky, framed by a piece of its history. ✨

18/08/2026

COSMIC PERSPECTIVES
The Universe Captured Through the Lens of Astroman.au

COSMIC PERSPECTIVES is my first dedicated astrophotography exhibition, bringing together a curated collection of deep-sky, nightscape and astronomical images captured from Australia and some of the world's exceptional dark-sky locations.

The exhibition explores both the scientific wonder and artistic possibilities of astrophotography, showcasing what can be achieved with modern amateur astronomy equipment, advanced imaging techniques and careful image processing.

Exhibition Details

Venue: White Box, Griffith University, South Bank Campus, Brisbane
Dates: Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 September
Time: 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Entry: Free — registration required

The exhibition will feature large-format canvas and acrylic prints, gallery-style lighting and a presentation area exploring the stories and techniques behind the images.

The Imaging Journey

The collection demonstrates a range of astrophotography approaches, from sophisticated telescope and cooled-camera systems to mirrorless nightscape photography and modern smart telescopes.

Images have been captured using Celestron and ASKAR telescopes, ZWO cameras, Sky-Watcher and ZWO mounts, narrowband and broadband filters, as well as multi-panel mosaic and untracked imaging techniques.

Processing has primarily been undertaken using PixInsight, Astro Pixel Processor and Adobe Photoshop.

A number of images were captured from my Brisbane backyard observatory under Bortle 7 skies, while others were created under much darker Australian and international skies. This provides an interesting perspective on what can be achieved from both urban and dark-sky environments.

An Invitation to the Astronomy Community

I would particularly like to invite fellow astronomers, astrophotographers, astronomy clubs and enthusiasts to visit the exhibition.

It will be an opportunity to see astrophotography presented in a gallery setting, discuss imaging and processing techniques, exchange ideas and simply share our fascination with the night sky.

Entry is free, but registration is required.

I hope you can join me for COSMIC PERSPECTIVES and experience the Universe from a different perspective.

Astroman.au
The Universe, Captured Through the Lens.

Dive into mind-blowing space vibes and explore the universe like never before at this cool hands-on exhibit.

17/08/2026

Milky Way Over the Red Bridge 🌌

A magical Queensland night beneath a truly dark sky.

This weekend I captured the Milky Way arch rising over Stanthorpe’s historic Red Bridge, also known as the Old Railway Bridge, dating back to the 1800s.

This is a multi-panel mosaic and composite nightscape, combining a detailed panorama of the Milky Way with a separately captured foreground to create the final scene.

What makes this capture particularly special is that it was achieved locally in Queensland under dark skies, using an unmodified Nikon Z6II — without a tracking mount. Just careful planning, multiple exposures and a lot of patience under the stars.

A little piece of our Queensland night sky, framed by a piece of its history. ✨

14/08/2026

Ballandean pyramid Milky Way Insta360 pics.

12/08/2026

12/08/2026

City Astro with Astroman.au

12/08/2026

City star trails from Seestar S30. 😅