Students, Faculty and Staff Learn About Astrophotography During Field Trip

April 19, 2023
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Organized by Erika Tsuchiya from our Innovative Media Studio, and led by Ajith Everester, a passionate Astrophotographer and resident of Qatar, the group – which included cross-registered students from Texas A&M University at Qatar, and Northwestern University in Qatar – spent five hours in the Kharara suburb of Doha, photographing the Milky Way and the Pinwheel Galaxy

For a few faculty, staff and students of VCUarts Qatar, the word ‘star-struck’ took on a whole new meaning on the night of April 18!

When you study at VCUarts Qatar, you get to experience some memorable moments. That certainly was the case for all those who signed up for our Astrophotography field trip.

Organized by Erika Tsuchiya from our Innovative Media Studio (IMS), and led by Ajith Everester, a passionate Astrophotographer and resident of Qatar, the group – which included cross-registered students from Texas A&M University at Qatar, and Northwestern University in Qatar – spent five hours in the Kharara suburb of Doha, photographing the Milky Way and the Pinwheel Galaxy.

The night in the desert was the second session of a two-part workshop organized by the IMS, the first part being a theoretical introduction to the equipment and software for astrophotography.

On the field trip, Everester showed the participants how to safely assemble equipment, identify stars, planets and galaxies, align telescopic and digital cameras with planetary bodies that are light years away, and use timed interval exposures to capture images that would then be edited and ‘stacked’ to create the stunning visuals Astrophotography is renowned for.

For the students, staff and faculty on the trip, leaving the lights and traffic of Doha behind to document a tranquil, star-studded night sky was “moving” and “inspirational”. A few seconds after stepping out of the bus, some of them could be seen standing still, gazing up, soaking in the inky expanse and quietly repeating, almost to themselves:
“Wow.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Wow.”
“This is just what I need.”
“I should do this more often.”

To find out more about our state-of-the-art IMS and other facilities, please visit https://qatar.vcu.edu/library/about-us/innovative-media-studios-ims

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