Nanaimo Astronomy Society first new year meeting focuses on budding astrophotographers
Published 5:00 pm Sunday, January 25, 2026
Nanaimo Astronomy Society is launching into the new year with a meeting focused on introducing newbies to astrophotography and smart telescopes.
NAS’s first meeting of 2026 brings two in-person presentations, starting with Chris Boar, society vice-president and former president, and former vice-president Tony Puerzer. Boar and Puerzer are retired professional photographers with a long-time passion for astrophotography and long histories with NAS. Puerzer’s lifelong interest in astronomy outreach and education included five years as a lecturer at the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium in Vancouver, and he has written several articles for Skynews and Sky & Telescope magazine.
Boar and Puerzer will explain how to get started with a simple camera on a tripod and progress in astrophotography.
Boar said he started with simple equipment, but warned that, should the bug for the hobby bite, it can get expensive as one progresses to dedicated astrophotography rigs to shoot the night skies.
“I think a lot of people will be surprised just how much astrophotography you can do with just a camera on a tripod,” Boar said. “You can do star trails, comets, constellations – that type of thing – and then it’s that slippery slope to buy the next big telescope or astrophotography camera.”
More advanced equipment includes star-tracking telescope mounts that allow for longer exposure times to create brighter and more detailed images by keeping the camera and telescope in sync with the movement of the stars across the sky.
“And the if you really want to get a severe case of GAS, which is gear acquisition syndrome, you can start spending big bucks on big telescopes, bigger mounts and more expensive, dedicated astrophotography cameras,” Boar said, but also noted the basic camera on a tripod is what the general public will find readily available and said cell phone cameras can also produce surprisingly good hand-held images under the right conditions.
As a professional photographer, he became interested in learning the technical skills and techniques behind astrophotographic imaging.
“You see these fantastic photos that other astrophotographers have done and I just wanted to learn the technical aspects of it and comeback with a finished product that I’d photographed myself and edited myself and printed myself,” Boar said. “I guess it’s my Harley Davidson.”
Boar and Puerzer will also have their astrophotography rigs on display and give a demonstration on processing raw astrophotography files into a finished image.
The second presentation will be by NAS member Rick Ulrich, who will talk about “smart telescopes” technology that’s making astronomy and astrophotography easier.
Ulrich, describes himself on the society’s website, as a retired forensic scientist who now has time to dabble in astronomy. He will cover the basics of how the Seestar S50 “smart telescope” works and explain why it represents a dramatic step forward for amateur astrophotography of deep sky objects as a device designed to reduce barriers, shorten setup time and deliver reliable results with minimal friction with the user.
Nanaimo Astronomy Society’s first meeting for 2026 will be hosted at Beban Park Social Centre, rooms 2 and 3, Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m.
Attendees are asked to arrive early to ensure the meeting starts on time.
Nanaimo Astronomy Society meetings are free for members and the public can attend once for free and are then encouraged to join the society.