Shooting for the stars: the otherworldly art of astrophotography – in pictures

From deep in the bush just outside Bathurst in Australia, Rodney Watters and Niall MacNeill bring the darkness of space into the light.

Using an alchemy of high-speed cameras, telescopes and computer processors, the images created for their new book overcome the multitude of challenges involved in capturing celestial bodies light years away

Rodney Watters and Niall MacNeill

Main image: The Great Wall of Ara is an extended area of nebulosity located in the constellation of Ara (the Altar). This area is often referred to as the ‘fighting dragons’ as it doesn’t take too much imagination to see a pair of dragons battling in the centre of the image. Photograph: Rodney Watters/Niall MacNeill

  • Saturn, the jewel of the solar system, with its awesome rings, which are so thin that if they were the size of a football field, they would be as thin as a sheet of paper
    Saturn, the jewel of the solar system, with its awesome rings

  • The Cats Paw nebula has the appearance of a cat’s paw but is actually a cloud of gas that can be found in the constellation of Scorpius. It is an emission nebula that emits light at different wavelengths depending on the chemical makeup of the gas. It is about 80 light years in diameter and located approximately 4,300 light years from Earth
    The Cats Paw nebula has the appearance of a cat’s paw but is actually a cloud of gas that can be found in the constellation of Scorpius

  • Jupiter, the king of the planets, has a very active and beautiful atmosphere, with magnificent and ever – changing swirls, festoons and eddies. The planet also has a glorious colour palette of whites, browns, creams, pinks and the surprising red of the iconic Great Red Spot, an anti-cyclonic storm that has endured for hundreds of years
    Jupiter, the king of the planets, has a very active and beautiful atmosphere, with magnificent and ever - changing swirls, festoons and eddies

  • The Carina nebula surrounds the star Eta Carina and lies at a distance of about 8,500 light years from Earth, covering approximately 2 degrees field of view. This image combines data from narrowband filters tuned to the light emissions from hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur
    The Carina nebula surrounds the star Eta Carina and lies at a distance of about 8,500 light years from Earth, covering approximately 2 degrees field of view

  • The catalogue name for this fine galaxy is NGC300, located in the constellation of Sculptor at a distance from Earth of approximately 6 million light years. The red colour in the spiral arms comes from the presence of hydrogen gas from which new stars will be born
    The catalogue name for this fine galaxy is NGC300, located in the constellation of Sculptor at a distance from Earth of approximately 6 million light years

  • Omega Centauri is a globular cluster located in the constellation of Centaurus about 15,800 light years from Earth. Globular clusters consist of very old stars with the stars in Omega Centauri estimated to be more than 11bn years old. There are more than 10m stars in this cluster all gravitationally interacting with each other
    Omega Centauri is a globular cluster located in the constellation of Centaurus about 15,800 light years from Earth

  • The famous Horse Head nebula can be found in the constellation of Orion (the Hunter) and is a classic example of pareidolia, perceiving familiar shapes in unrelated objects. In this case, a cloud of dark dusty nebula obscuring the light from the gas clouds behind creates the familiar shape
    The famous Horse Head nebula can be found in the constellation of Orion

  • Mars, the red planet, comes close to Earth every two years and when favourably placed, as it was in 2020, tremendous surface detail can be discerned. The south polar cap was seen to shrink over the weeks and months of the martian southern summer, such that only its remnant can be seen here, while white water clouds hover over the north polar region
    Mars, the red planet, comes close to Earth every two years and when favourably placed, as it was in 2020, tremendous surface detail can be discerned. The south polar cap was seen to shrink over the weeks and months of the martian southern summer, such that only its remnant can be seen here, while white water clouds hover over the north polar region

  • Star trails record the apparent movement of the stars due to the rotation of Earth and therefore appear to rotate about a point known as the celestial pole, which is aligned with Earth’s axis. Here the movement of the stars is recorded over eight hours and the different star colours are apparent in the circular arcs so created
    Star trails record the apparent movement of the stars due to the rotation of Earth and therefore appear to rotate about a point known as the celestial pole, which is aligned with Earth’s axis. Here the movement of the stars is recorded over eight hours and the different star colours are apparent in the circular arcs so created

  • A shearing shed, the red soil of the Australian outback and a full moon provide the perfect setting for this nightscape image. In the upper left is the Southern Cross (Crux) and the two bright pointers to the cross, situated just below
    A shearing shed, the red soil of the Australian outback and a full moon provide the perfect setting for this nightscape image. In the upper left is the Southern Cross (Crux) and the two bright pointers to the cross, situated just below
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