Nordic landscapes and northern lights – 13

It was a truly magical night, as we crossed the aurora crown and it danced right above us. It was so freezingly cold that only two of us remained, but it was worth it!
Nordic landscapes and northern lights – 14

The last night of northern lights had a particularly eerie feeling to it, as the aurora was quite faint but very active. The infrared sky emission made itself known again, as well. As before, there is a remarkable difference in water reflections between full spectrum and infrared.
Nordic landscapes and northern lights – 15

Here, full spectrum truly shows what firework we could see if our eyes had infrared capabilities as well. The sky has a purple taint due to the infrared sky emissions and the horizon again shifts colours due to visible light absorption.
Nordic landscapes and northern lights – 16

On the last full day, Norway said goodbye with a particularly scenic sun setting above the coastal mountains. I couldn’t be happier with what we have seen and experienced on that voyage.
Nordic landscapes and northern lights – 17

I couldn’t be happier with what we have seen and experienced on that voyage and, if times change and travel becomes more free again, I would love to return.
Historic Fraunhofer refractor of USM

The old observatory of the Universitätssternwarte München in Bogenhausen and its Fraunhofer refractor used to be one of the most modern of its time. However, more than a century has passed and it is now under monument protection. It provides a very nice background for our new office building!
Infrared Isar

The first color infrared photo I ever took with an ancient Sony F717 in night mode, showing boats docked at the Isar river close to the city of Landshut.
Roadtrip in Texas

After a week-long observing run in Texas, having collected data in sufficient amounts to keep ourselves busy until next year, we enjoyed the scenic route back to the airport, the road leading up into the magnificient mountain pass below the clouds.
Ulmer Mnster

One of my passions is infrared photography of churches in Europe, gothic churches in particular. The Ulmer Münster has the highest church tower in the world and infrared gives it a rather menacing feeling.
Alta Via Merano covered in clouds

The Alta Via Merano, located in South Tyrol, is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in Europe. We were particularly lucky since the clouds were about to lift just when we started. This photo shows the last seconds right before that, while to our eyes it was still intransparent. People often ask me how […]
An astronomer in Texas – 10

–part 10 of the essay An astronomer in Texas– Finally, success! Clear, dark skies for science and also for photography. The milky way is fascinating both in the visible and the infrared, but I prefer the mix that is created by this filter and wavelength-sorted with blue corresponding to green, green to red and red […]
The lake of lago di garda

Lago di garda, or lake Garda, is very popular with tourists, particularly from Germany. It is a beautiful lake in the Italian alps. This, however, is just a puddle of water with the actual lake hidden. I like the difference in perspective between how it actually looked to how the camera captured it only a […]