Bright Lights in the Deep, Dark Sky

I love studying the scientific aspects of our favorite outdoor activity. One can only be amazed by our marine environment and the creatures it supports. For someone like me, living a life that involves interacting with a variety of marine creatures is uber cool. The dynamics that constantly change conditions on our beaches are certainly impressive to observe.

In addition to recording and studying the ways in which our ever-evolving weather and other environmental factors affect our fishing, I've become interested in another aspect of the natural world I see around me while out on the beach. My full-time dedication to surf fishing, with a priority on sharking, places me alongside the ocean at night, soaking big baits and waiting for a monster to make an appearance. While we wait, I'm alert for any signs of a bite, but often, something else grabs my attention.

During the long nights spent on the beachfront waiting for bites, I often find myself staring straight into the deep, dark skies, into the depths of the universe itself. While I've enjoyed stargazing for my entire life, I really didn't participate in the personal "space exploration" facilitated by photographic technologies until recently. I started dabbling in astrophotography, or astronomical imaging, a few years ago and I've come to greatly enjoy it.

As time passes, new technologies allow for significant upgrades in cameras and gear. Today's digital cameras have incredibly precise sensors capable of capturing unreal amounts of data. More data means better, more detailed photos. In the realm of astrophotography, this allows for capturing images of things in the night sky which we can't begin to see with our naked eyes.

These days, on every single trip down the beach, I pack an impressive array of camera gear, and if we have dark skies with little or no moonlight, I get excited at the chance to capture images of the many things above our heads. This habit started a few years ago, when one of the individuals coming on a charter asked if he could bring his telescope along on the trip. Of course, I told him he could, since I couldn't think of a good reason not to do it, and also because I was curious. The man, an employee at NASA, brought along a large refractor telescope, one I didn't really know how to use, so I had little or no expectations about what we might see with it.

That evening, when darkness fell, he set up his piece of equipment. After making various precise adjustments to calibrations and other settings, the gentlemen turned to me and said, "I think I have it now. Check this out." Thinking I would see some stars merely amplified by the telescope's lens, I was amazed when I looked through the viewfinder and saw Saturn, the recognizable planet with visible rings. In an instant, I gained greater appreciation for stargazing, looking at a clear image of another planet while standing on the sands of a Texas beach.

Recent advances in technology have spurred my interest in a new toy, now available on the market. Small digital-tracking telescopes capable of producing outstanding images of objects in our dark skies are now more affordable than ever. These smart scopes have tracking features and can record exceptional long-exposure photos of extraterrestrial objects. Among the popular brands are the Seestar and the Dwarf 3. My Seestar enhances our evenings on the beaches in the most entertaining ways.

Pulling up an app on a smartphone, one can set up the camera quickly and start gazing away, making both photographs and videos. Many objects can be viewed and recorded in digital images, including deep sky nebulae, distant galaxies, meteor showers and, of course, the moon and the other planets in our solar system. Using a stacking method, the device captures images continuously, in fifteen second intervals, then congeals the data into a single, often mind-blowing image.

In the realms of stargazing and astrophotography, success relies on clear, dark skies. The Bortle Scale rates this on a scale from 1 to 9, with 1 being the darkest sky, best for stargazing and astrophotography, and 9 being fully lit, like the middle of a large metropolis. Luckily for those of us who love fishing the Texas beaches, the Padre Island National Seashore has an exceptionally low Bortle Scale rating, about a 2, on average. The crisp, dark skies over PINS are regularly perfect for using smart scopes and DSLR devices.

I've developed a pretty set routine for use on exciting nights with optimal conditions. I work hard right before sundown to get my shark baits out soaking for the night, then set up my astro gear. When using my Canon DSLR, I like to shoot a specific object, like the moon, a planet or the Milky Way. These shooting sessions require some of my attention. In order to capture clear long-exposure photos, a camera must remain really still. A strong wind is public enemy number one to this endeavor.

We all know winds blow regularly on our Texas beaches, and this creates problems for astrophotographers. But, the Seestar proves itself fully capable of coping with our steady breezes. Though the smart scope will be affected by wind, it's programmed to drop blurred frames from the stacks to generate a clean, automated image of the framed object. Leaving the scope trained on an object for a longer period of time allows for capturing more data and creating a more detailed image.

Over the years, I've captured some amazing photos of objects in the night skies during my fishing adventures. Breathtaking images of something like the Orion Nebula or Andromeda Galaxy help us appreciate things which seem larger than life. For me, this activity has evolved into another cool hobby that complements our outings. The opportunities for gaining pleasure from astrophotography and stargazing are nearly as numerous as the stars in the sky. High-tech nerds can utilize fancy gear to capture satisfying images of all kinds of mysterious things, while others simply lie on their backs and gaze with wonder at the innumerable lights twinkling in the dark corridors of deep outer space.