The following is the interaction between Team SciLynk and Om Patel, an undergraduate in Chemistry from Anand, Gujarat and a participant in the astronomy and astrophotography workshop organized by SciLynk last year, namely, the Night Sky Through Your Lens (NSTYL) Workshop.
What was your experience while capturing and processing your images?
First of all, thank you very much team Scilynk for this opportunity. Grateful to be a part of this workshop!!

Featured NSTYL Workshop Participant.
All the images that I presented were captured by me with the help of Vivo S1 from my hometown Anand. Additionally I used an Intervalometer for capturing star trails and applications like Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed and Startrails app for a bit of editing. All I have realised till now is that Astrophotography is just about trial and errors, we make mistakes and we learn from it.
Why did you choose these particular objects to observe through your lens?
There were multiple factors behind capturing Orion Constellation. It is due to the fact that it is very bright and a very popular source among astrophotographers. In fact, I was to locate it from my city area.
How were you first introduced to Astrophotography and night sky observation?
Night sky fascinated me since I was young. But I started pursuing astrophotography as a hobby during the lockdown. It was when I captured my first ISS Trail, that I got featured and there was no looking back.
Can you explain the scientific value of your photographs in brief?
As mentioned earlier, I used Vivo S1. The First image (Orion constellation) was captured on 26/2/21 6:48pm – ISO 200; Exposure Time 24 sec. The Second image (The Winter Triangle and Orion) was captured on 11/1/21 8:07pm – ISO 400; Exposure Time 20 sec. The Third image (Orion star trail) is a composite of around 108 images stacked with the help of Startrails app, was captured on 14/1/21 10:15pm.


What are the astronomy clubs or organizations you are or want to be a part of in the near future?
There are many good astronomy clubs in Gujarat but I currently don’t have any clues regarding joining them but that’s for sure that I will stay in touch with SciLynk and similar organizations.
Besides this, you can view our video and blog collections in the Video Section & Blog Section of the website.
Akshat Mishra holds a Masters in Physics from DAE - Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Mumbai. He feels the need to explore the depths of the not-so-dark universe while at the same time watch the quanta in action. Electronic Music is what puts him in the thinking zone.