RPN Photography

29/03/2025

Hello folks! Its been far too long since I posted any images! But today I took an image of the partial solar eclipse over the UK which happened between 10am and midday, with the sun being obscured by around 35-40% at 11:03am, which is when this image was taken! I hope you got to see it, and remember, never stare directly at the Sun without the appropriate solar protection! ☀️

01/01/2024

As we enter 2024, I'd like to wish all my followers, clients and friends a very Happy New Year! I'm going to be a lot more active this year on Facebook and Instagram, and I very much hope you'll continue to follow me along my photographic journey!

To start the year off, here's one of my last night sky objects imaged back in late November 2023. This is the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2244), finished in a very interesting colour palette called 'Foraxx', which I absolutely love, and will be using more often in my Deep Sky images!

06/11/2023

Well folks, its been far too long since I posted any new content, rest assured that will all change soon! As many of you know, I contribute to the The BV magazines Night Sky column, where I share the latest images I've been taking of our night sky and let you know what celestial events are taking place in the month ahead. For the December issue, I've decided to hand over control to you! Beit a Nebula, Galaxy, Star cluster, or perhaps a planetary neighbor in our Solar System, I'm open to suggestions for Decembers Night Sky Image! If I can see it in our Night Sky, I'll attempt to photograph it! So get posting below with your suggestions and I'll be picking one to focus on in the coming weeks! Clear Skies!

31/12/2022

Apologies for the late post folks, its been a roller coaster year this year what with one thing and another! I really wanted to post this in the lead up to Christmas but there just wasn't time to get it processed! So, a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. Thank you for liking my page and for your ongoing support. I promise to be more active with content in 2023! (I'll try!)

So lets see out 2022 with a rather apt deep space object in our night sky, NGC 2264, known as the Cone Nebula but also as the 'Christmas Tree Cluster' which is 2,500 light years away. When oriented in this composition it does look like a huge Christmas Tree. I edited this one in specific colours to bring out the tree structure in a green tint.

Look forward to sharing more images and seeing you all in 2023! Lets make it a good one!

25/10/2022

You'd totally be forgiven for not even realising there was a partial solar eclipse today between 10:08 am and 11:50am, due to the clouds and intermittent showers! I did manage to improve upon my last solar eclipse shots from 2021 this year though, despite the weather! The camera was left snapping away remotely whilst I was working, and I'm pleased with the result! The next partial eclipse in the UK will be in March 2025! This was only about 15% eclipse coverage today, still an awesome sight to behold though, and you can even make out a few sun spots!☀️

07/10/2022

I’m pleased to announce that, after a short break, I am back to working with the Blackmore Vale Magazine again. Turn to page 54 to see my latest article! ✨🌌

19/09/2022

This beautiful landscape at Seilebost beach on the Isle of Harris will forever hold a special meaning for me. For one, it was the most stunning sunset I witnessed during my 10 days touring the Outer Hebrides with the family. And two, its where I was when I found out our beloved Queen Elizabeth II had sadly passed away. Thursday 8th September 2022. A special date in all our hearts forever more.

06/09/2022

First light and initial testing for my new Kase k9 wolverine 100mm filter system! Hoping for big results during our Outer Hebrides roadtrip! Kase Filters UK Nikon 3 Legged Thing

25/05/2022

My latest image for The Blackmore Vale

"Champagne Supernova. Now it’s easy to think at first glance that this isn’t a particularly great image, but bear with me.
The reason this is such an interesting photo is because a supernova (designated SN 2022 HRS) in this little region of space near M60 (NGC 4649) - which is an elliptical galaxy approximately 57 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo - suddenly became visible to us just a couple of weeks ago, around the 16th April.
It is also worth bearing in mind that a single light year is around six trillion miles, so this galaxy is possibly the furthest object I’ve intended to capture to date!
There are many other ‘faint fuzzies’ in this image, making up the Virgo supercluster which is a huge swarm of 2,000 galaxies in this region of space. The Supernova shown magnified in this image actually happened 63 million years ago.
To put that into perspective, this star all the way across the universe exploded in the biggest explosions that we as humans know about - but it actually happened when the dinosaurs were still roaming the Earth. However, it only just became visible to us on a seemingly ordinary day a couple of weeks ago.
More amazingly, we saw it, realised, and now astronomers all over the world just like me are imaging it themselves, just days after it became apparent to us. I find that truly incredible, and its why I love this hobby! This image was captured only nine days after the Supernova appeared, and was captured using my bigger Sky-watcher Newtonian Reflector Telescope and Cooled Astro Camera."
Rob Nolan RPN Photography

28/04/2022

Humbled by the turnout for my 'Photographing the Universe around Us' presentation yesterday evening for the Cerne Giant Festival at St Mary's Church. We had around 30 attendees and some amazing questions at the end of the session as well! Here's a snap from the presentation! A special thanks to the organisers for inviting me to speak! I'll be sharing some new stellar images with you all soon! Clear Skies!

23/04/2022

I'm very excited to announce that I am participating in this years , celebrating Humanity in the Landscape. The event kicked off a couple of weeks ago with various events going on throughout the days and evenings around the village. On Wednesday the 27th April at 7pm, you can join me at St Mary's Church in Cerne Abbas as I present 'Photographing the Universe around us'. We'll explore some of the amazing objects in our night sky, from our Moon to distant Galaxies and vast Nebulas, I'll be sharing my night sky images taken from our very own rural Dorset skies. I'll also talk a little bit about the science that's allowing us to understand more about our place in the Cosmos.

The presentation will last around 45 minutes with a Q&A session. Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start. Tickets can be purchased via the eventbrite link below in advance, or on the door on the night, and includes a glass of wine or soft drink. Contributions from the ticket sales are going to help support my local church in Buckland Newton which I'm really happy about! So if you've seen my night sky images and want to find out more about the universe around us, or want to learn a bit about how to take night sky photographs yourself, please come and join us! I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening! 🙂

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/photographing-the-universe-around-us-tickets-308309581257?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

You can also visit the events website, to see what other events are going on until the middle of May.

https://cernegiantfestival.org/

Amazing night sky photographs, the stories they tell us, and what we can learn from them