Today we would like to introduce you to the astrophotographer Heiner Weiß.

And so our little series continues. Today we'd like to introduce you to astrophotographer Heiner Weiß.

Hello Heiner, how did you get into this hobby?

Hello Rudi, Karl, and Karsten,

First of all, thank you. I'm very happy to be able to participate in your interview series.

I've been doing astrophotography since 2015, starting with a Celestron AVX and my Nikon camera equipment. Unlike most astrophotographers, I didn't come to photography from astronomy, but the other way around. I've been taking photos for many years, and since 2010 as a side business. But with astrophotography, you're basically starting from scratch again.

Back in 2015, there weren't that many (German) tutorials on YouTube; the software and technology have made huge leaps in recent years. The first year was really tough, and I was close to giving it all up. Now I even give seminars at the adult education center and offer coaching on astrophotography. But then things really took off. The first successes on my own patio came, and my motivation was back. When the patio was covered, I needed a new spot for my telescopes. There was still space behind the house, and with the pandemic and reduced working hours, I finally had the time to build a shed. It's a 3x3 meter footprint for the telescope room and an adjoining room to keep warm in winter. However, remote operation was quickly implemented, so now I only have to briefly deactivate the alarm system, switch on the power outlets via an app, and I can open the roof remotely and control all the equipment from the living room.

I've had to learn some hard lessons when it comes to telescopes and cameras. For example, I'll never have a Newtonian telescope in my house again. It's just not for me.

Currently, my main equipment consists of a Skywatcher EQ8-R mount, a Celestron Rasa 11", EdgeHD 8", and an ASKAR FRA300. For mobile observing, and not at the observatory, I also use a Lunt LS60 with a pressure tuner on a Skywatcher EQ5 mount. My camera collection consists of an ASI2600MC Pro (IMX571), a Touptek 2600KMA (IMX571), a Touptek 9000KMA (IMX533), and a few uncooled ZWO ASIs and Toupteks.

Guiding is done with a 60mm scope and the MGEN 3. A huge thank you to Karl (for the equipment and his tireless support on the phone and WhatsApp) is a must. I'd also like to thank Karsten for his help with the solar observing.

Furthermore, I love N.I.N.A. and wouldn't want to be without the software; I highly recommend it.

My favorite objects in the sky are dark nebulae. For a change of pace, I also try observing the sun and moon from time to time. I'm glad that despite the relatively high light pollution here in the urban area, I can still photograph dark fog.

Thanks a lot, Rudi; I'd be happy to show a few more pictures from my collection.