The incomparable experience to observe a dark, starlit night sky without any visual aids, is one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. To sense the beloved earth underneath the feet, to capture the vastness of the universe above the head: this puts your mind at rest.   To watch the slow but steady course of the stars, to follow their rise and setting, to notice their colors and scintillas, to experience the precise movements of the planets around the sun, all of this compensates for the hectic and short-livedness of our 'modern' industrial society, and shows that oneself is part of nature’s magnificence.   My enthusiasm for the activities and objects of the cosmos dates back to my early adolescence. Driven by my innate desire to capture beauty in images (I am also a fine art photographer and run my own photography website at www.photomeeting.de) it was only natural to combine these two hobbies. It is only today – decades later – that I am starting to grasp what I got myself into.    Although, I still enjoy visual astronomy, astrophotography has gained the upper-hand and requires my full commitment. Had I forseen what amount of time, perseverence, technology, know-how and - in the end – money would be necessary in order to produce first-class images, I would have had second thoughts about it – only to pursue the same path again!   Amateur astronomy in general and astrophotography in particular always create new challenges. Success and failure lie closely together, luck and skill go hand in hand, disappointment and fulfillment are only seconds or a tiny movement apart. Astrophotography grants you unforgettable hours under the night sky; it allows you to produce aesthetically rewarding and lasting results. Astrophotography is a love-match between physics, photography, art and (digital) image processing. It is …. exciting!   I confess that I want to create 'pretty pictures'. The scientific value of my images is of secondary importance, although, I always try to convey a very realistic and naturalistic impressions of my subjects. You will not find any photomontages, 'digital art' or knowingly manipulated images on my website. In my astrophotography I am striving for reality and authenticity. In a way as an extension of the optic nerve. Since astrophotography renders forms, structures and colors that the human eye can never perceive.   I am currently living in Stuttgart (Southern Germany), where I am working as an IT consultant. Unfortunately the weather conditions here in Stuttgart are less than favorable. A clear night sky is the exception, fair weather periods that last a few days are rare, even in summer. In addition, light pollution is quite significant. The visual limiting magnitude is 4.5 mag with usually bad seeing. All of this means, that I need to travel with my equipment to either the Black Forest or the Swabian Alb (both nearby) if I want to produce excellent images.    I have owned and used a number of different telescopes over the years until I finally discovered my love for apochromatic refractors. The versatility and efficiency of these devices fascinates me time and again. They not only allow rich-field oberservations and highest enlargements but also CCD imaging as well as working with 35mm films and roll films - and all of this on the highest quality level. At the moment I am employing a CCD camera, a Web camera as well as classic cameras with chemical films. Since the advantages of the CCD detector are quite striking I believe that the CCD technology will prevail in the future.   Thanks to the modern CCD camera the CCD photography as practiced by amateur astronomers has shown a tremendous increase in quality. Today quite a few amateurs produce images that twenty years ago a large professional observatory would have been proud of. Without mentioning any names: these are my models. Some of the photographs that I watched full of amazement and admiration as a child, I can now produce myself (or at times even surpass them) by using a modern 6” telescope with the latest technology. What could be more fascinating?   I am very happy to share my enthusiasm for astronomy with you through this website. I hope it inspires you as well! Enjoy your visit!   Stuttgart, January 1st, 2003   Download this text in German language...