Alex wants to make us look up

Alex Fernandez got his first telescope when he was 12 years old. He has since gotten a bigger one. -The more light a telescope lets in, the better your vision. A large telescope allows more light to enter, it is like a bucket of water holding more.

Michael Anderson

– Many people do not think about what is happening here.

Alex Fernandez stands beside the field behind Färentuna Church and looks up at the sky. It's long, clear, and deep blue, and it's hard to imagine a swarm of galaxies, asteroids, planets, and solar wind particles there.

-I would love to inspire others to see this. We often look at our mobile phones, but we have a lot on our heads.

He spent many nights here and elsewhere on the islands, bracing for the cold, waiting for the perfect shot. Sometimes the wait is long. The northern lights in particular can be fickle. Although there are many apps that check the strength of solar storms and provide predictions of powerful auroras, getting out of them is still a gamble.

-You should always keep expectations low. You never know how it will turn out and you have to wait a long time. Alex says: I often sit outside until two or three in the morning, and sometimes it's cold.

– But you forget to wait and chill when you see the northern lights. It's too strong.

Telescope as a Christmas gift

He received his first telescope as a Christmas gift in 2020, when he was 12 years old. The following Christmas, he acquired the first star tracker, which tracks the Earth's rotation and makes it possible to obtain long exposure times for images. This is how Alex gets pictures of planets and stars.

The Milky Way and northern lights over fields in Färentuna. The image has been cropped.

Alex Fernandez

Capturing deep space and celestial phenomena in photographs is a means of discovery and documentation, and at the same time gives an opportunity for nature experiences.

– Saturn's rings, all of Jupiter's moons, all the details and colors. Alex says it's amazing what you can see.

Comet in Maskbacken

The day after our meeting, Alex plans to spend a night in Maskbacken, hoping to catch a comet. There it gets a little closer, which helps see the comet, but also overpowers street lights and other lights. Because Alex is always searching for the dark.

Stockholm is full of light pollution. I get so angry when I see the lights pointing up. It is very unnecessary, it is not there where light is needed.

On the islands it's better, not Norrlandsmörkt but still good in the right places. Alex captured a photo of the Milky Way over the fields of Färingsö, the lunar eclipse over Drottningholm, the August supermoon over Ekerö Church, and the northern lights over the fields and church steeples.

Supermoon in August at Ekiro Church.

Alex Fernandez

Sky phenomena are the focus of his images, but they are often anchored to something close to the ground.

-I think a photo is good when there is something in it that people understand immediately, like a church or a tree. It gives the picture a story. I love when a picture has a story.

Astrophotographer Ikiru

16 years old.

He lives in Ikiru.

He takes an Estonian program in high school, focusing on photography.

His photos can be seen at www.alexferein.com

Source: In the middle

We often look at our mobile phones, but we have a lot on our heads.