06/05/2026
I am featured on European Space Agency! 🌌🚀
Massive achievement unlocked!
——
Hello star chasers! My name is Marco Wong, an astrophotography enthusiast based in southeast England. I could not believe it when I received an invitation to collaborate from . To me this is a huge achievement in my astrophotography journey, and will go on to be an unforgettable day in my life!
I never cared too much about what lies beyond the night sky until a trip to the Bolivian highlands 6 years ago, where I saw with my own eyes the glittering Milky Way for the first time. It was what I would describe as the closest my spirit has ever been to our roots, I also found a sense of clarity. This is how my astrophotography journey began. Beyond technicality, it is more of a philosophical journey in search of my identity.
I have since been a frequent visitor to the nearest dark sky from home, the Seven Sisters Country Park in southeast England (Bortle 4-5). This is where I photographed most of my Milky Way images with my Canon 6D. Situated in some of the busiest parts of Europe, a dark sky is already a rare find. Light pollution has made astrophotography even more challenging, as I always end up spending hours on combating light pollution and colour correction in an attempt to reveal the true colour of the galaxy behind the screen of artificial light. Astrophotography is a steep learning curve that requires creativity and persistence, while beneficial to learn from others, I enjoy studying the colours of my local skies, as the atmosphere is highly dynamic and no two skies are the same. The techniques I use are mainly tracking, stacking and panoramas.
After visiting some of the darkest places on Earth, including the Kyrgyz mountains and Chilean desert, I often reflect on the importance of reconnecting with the universe, and the impact of light pollution on us as human beings. The timelessness of stargazing will strip you down to your essence and remind you that nothing really matters in the grand scheme of things. Here I will finish off with my favourite quote: ‘If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.’
I hope you enjoyed this selection ✨
