Chasing The Stars From Northern Arizona: Drew Evans
The Milky Way by Drew Evans
I am a passionate astrophotographer based out of Flagstaff, Arizona, US. I am a Digital Marketing Director by profession and an avid astronomy lover outside of work. I have a wonderful family with my wife and 3 children here in northern Arizona, where we recently moved from very light-polluted skies on the east coast.
Astrophotography has been a main hobby of mine for decades now. Since I was a child, space and astronomy have always been a subject of discovery and learning for me. The ever-expanding discoveries in astronomy have always caught my attention, and being able to image the universe from my bortle 2 (SQM of 21.93) backyard observatory has helped further engage my passion.
Learning Through Trial and Error
I started astrophotography back in the early 2000s with a Takahashi FS-60C refractor and Canon Digital Rebel Camera. Back then, astro imaging was hardly as easy and software-facilitated as it is now using light pollution removal techniques. My images were very rudimentary, and post-processing was almost non-existent. With a small Takahashi Sky Patrol mount, I was limited to only shooting wide-field space targets with short exposures.
Over the years, I have transversed through a lot of trial and error with imaging equipment, graduating from wide-field to deep sky. I have since learned to strategize and plan my imaging sessions in advance using an assortment of my gear and software programs such as SkySafari.
Living back on the east coast my entire life, distant deep sky objects low on the southern horizon were extremely difficult to image due to the overwhelming light pollution outside Philadelphia. Here in northern Arizona, under bortle 2 skies, imaging sessions have become a dream come true, especially with very long exposures of 10 minutes or more per sub.
My first trip many years ago to Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania was magical. Seeing skies so dark for the first time was quite an experience. I would encourage anyone in the northeast US to make a visit. Bring your friends and family and share the experience with them. Seeing the Milky Way for the first time is something many can’t say they have witnessed. Their star parties are incredible as well!
NAZ Observatory
Equipment and Techniques
I have quite an arsenal of gear accumulated over the years. I own several refractors, SCTs, reflectors, and camera lenses ranging from 14mm to 2800mm. I do a lot of testing for several major astro manufacturers due to the dark skies I have, which I provide results and input on their new gear before distribution. My home observatory -NAZ Observatory- that I built a few years back incorporates an 18'x18’ roll-off roof, which can be accessed remotely to image from anywhere. This was very important to me as I do not like venturing out in 4-5 feet of snow to set up my sessions! I have 3 permanent piers set up for total remote imaging. Although they can be accessed from anywhere in the world, I mostly image from a few hundred feet away from inside my home. The roll-off roof is custom-built and opens up, allowing amazingly dark skies from horizon to horizon, showing bright unobstructed stars.
One of my routines is to take long acquisition subs (10+ minutes). With the dark skies I am blessed with and great seeing conditions at over 8000 feet elevation, I am able to really push the limits of my mounts and guiding. I find that long exposures greatly reduce noise, and the more, the better!
Creative Approach & Vision
Great framing has always been a key perspective and priority for me. I tend to first research the subject and then use framing as a guideline to marry one of my telescopes and astro-dedicated cameras with.
A story to convey through astrophotography:
Outreach! This wonderful hobby has allowed me to share some incredible stellar results over the years with individuals from all over the world. I am fortunate enough to have made some amazing friends through this hobby who are just as passionate as I am. I am also a member of the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition here locally, which supports retaining our dark night skies, and I also teach astronomy courses for Northern Arizona University’s Road Scholar program. I am very honored to be a part of these.
The Great Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex by Drew Evans
Challenges & Rewards
Time would be my biggest challenge. I am a very busy individual aside from this hobby, with my work and free time. My family life is very important to me, and there are always priorities in place. If I had more time to devote to imaging and processing, that would always be welcome. Which reminds me, I have months of data piling up that I have not had the chance to work on yet!
New astronomical discoveries are without a doubt the most rewarding part of this hobby for me. The amount of time and patience involved is astronomical (pun intended!). Within the past year, I have been working with a few friends and have discovered two new planetary nebulae (HorFulEvReb 1 & HorFulEvReb 2). Receiving accolades such as NASA’s APOD awards are also very rewarding. It is wonderful to know that images I spend many hours acquiring and processing are recognized with such high accolades.
A Significant Turning Point
Moving to northern Arizona, bortle 2 skies, was a major turning point for me. In fact, many have said it’s actually “cheating” in this hobby. It made my imaging much more enjoyable knowing that there were objects that I could not attain back in heavily light-polluted areas. It opened up an entire new catalogue of subjects to image!
Seahorse Nebula (Barnard 150) by Drew Evans
Advice & Future
Advice for those starting out in astrophotography?
Patience. Many have started out in this hobby thinking they can jump right into it with expensive gear and have instant results overnight. That is honestly the worst plan. I have seen many become overwhelmed with the learning curve and underwhelmed with their results, causing them to immediately drop out. As many have suggested, starting out with a relatively inexpensive/modest setup first is the way to go. Always start with your mount, as it’s the most important piece of your hardware, and build on from there. Understand your skies, gear, and techniques from the beginning. Research as well, as there are many who have been through this journey before you.
What’s next?
I hope to continue to make new discoveries, fine-tune my workflow, and improve my processing skills. Continuing and expanding the outreach I have made over the years is also important to me. Although the self-gratification on a completed project is always number one to me, sharing and seeing community appreciation is something I appreciate. Clear skies to all!
