Urban Astronomy – Light Pollution Limitations

It’s not easy stargazing in Hong Kong - the high levels of light pollution mean that along with a telescope and tripod, filters, cameras, guiding tools are all needed just to emulate conditions in darker spots. As a 16 year old without a part-time job, a car’s out of the question - as are any chances of me being responsible with it.

I received my first telescope after lots, and lots, and lots of nagging. Heck, I’m still surprised my parents even caved in - it’s not them to do this. Since then, it’s been two months - I’ve been consuming information voraciously, turning my astrophotography zealotry into photos I’ve been proud of so far.

However, being in such a light-polluted area has its drawbacks - I haven’t had the opportunity to connect with many people, a chief reason being that there aren’t many people out there in the first place. With Cantonese a language relegated to conversations, my ability to comprehend cantonese lectures about stars is very limited, meaning that it’s been tough finding a group of people I can meld with, especially a pool of young adults.

That is why I ask for donations - I ask for donations for the ability to show my peers the beauty of astronomy, astrophotography or visual astronomy. I ask for donations to unlock the secrets of the cosmos, secrets otherwise obscured by the red veil of light pollution. I ask for donations to convince those around me to drop the device and come stare up at what is typically a black slate, shattered occasionally by the double dots of the Moon and Jupiter.

Funds go into upgrading equipment and dealing with logistics pertaining to the creation of a Hong-Kong based english-speaking community of astrophotographers. This will be created in the form of an AstroBin group as well as a dedicated Instagram/Facebook page, serving the needs of any prospective astronomers!

Feel free to look at some of the photos I take here: