Fine Art Astrophotography by Scott Johnson

Photographed at my observatory near Bloomington In using an Astro-Physics 155 refractor on a beautiful clear and warm night. What a spectacular show.

Photographed at my observatory near Bloomington In using an Astro-Physics 155 refractor on a beautiful clear and warm night. What a spectacular show.

An interesting comet with an anti-tail pointing to the horizon. Photographed October 2024 at Monroe Lake, Indiana. I think the clouds add some nice drama to the photo.

This 25 image sequence was photographed from Rio Rancho New Mexico where I was hosted by the Rainbow Park Observatory for this wonderful event. I used UPS to send equipment in advance and was able to carry my mount and telescope on the plane as I did for the 1999 eclipse photographed from Romania. Traveling with a lot of gear was easier back then.

This Annular Eclipse image was photographed from Rio Rancho New Mexico where I was hosted by the Rainbow Park Observatory for this wonderful event. I used UPS to send equipment in advance and was able to carry my mount and telescope on the plane as I did for the 1999 eclipse photographed from Romania. Traveling with a lot of gear was easier back then.

This composite, made from the 4-8-2024 solar eclipse, consists of 16 separate images made though an Astro-Physics Stowaway telescope. The images were taken approximately 2 seconds apart at 1/2000th second shutter speed. Bits of light from overlapping images create dark and shadow areas reminiscent of columns, diamonds, and arcs derived from the sun-moon interplay. Visible stages of the eclipse consist of the diamond rings, Baileys beads, prominences, and the chromosphere. I had been planning to make a composite similar to this for 7 years but the geometric center was a happy discovery on the way to the final image, so I decided to share it as a stand alone, one of a kind creation.

This is a composite of 2 images from the 2024 solar eclipse photographed from my observatory near Bloomington, In. The prominences were spectacular. Photographed with an Astro-Physics 155 f/7 refractor. This image was rotated 90 degrees for aesthetic flow and visual impact. Photographed on 4-8-2024.

This 35 image composite of the continuum from the diamond ring, to Bailey’s beads, prominences, and the chromosphere displays images spaced 1 second apart. The center was extracted from a corona image photographed mid-eclipse. Photographed at my observatory using an Astro-Physics 155 f/7 refractor 4-8-2024.

This a composite of 12 images ranging from 1/ 1,000th sec to 2 seconds. Imaged from my observatory near Bloomington In with a TEC 110 refractor. The imaging session was automated with the help of Solar Eclipse Maestro software while Kris and I hand fired the shutters on 2 other telescope rigs simultaneously.

Photographed at my observatory near Bloomington In using an Astro-Physics Stowaway and Baader solar film. Looks like we are heading into a fantastic solar maximum.

Photographed at my observatory near Bloomington In using an Astro-Physics Riccardi Honders telescope. Plenty of resolution on this one.

Partial phases of the eclipse are shown from approximately every 10-15 minutes during the event and displayed with an image of the inner corona. I was glad to see some sunspots as they have been a bit absent lately. This piece is available as a metal print up to 8 feet long.

Photographed in Adams Tn with an Astro-Physics 130 f/6 telescope. 

This corona composite was made by combining 20 separate images from the total eclipse on 8-21-2017

The last bit of sun just before being completely blocked by the moon displays a brilliant diamond ring in the sky. Photographed in Adams Tn with an Astro-Physics 130 f/6 telescope. 

This image was made using 2 different telescopes and cameras. My goal was to capture the starfield mid-eclipse along with the eclipsed moon. This is not something that can be done well during the full moon so the starfield was captured during the new moon. The eclipsed moon was photographed with an 5” Astro-Physics refractor and the stars with a 12” newtonian from my observatory near Bloomington, Indiana. Large prints show a plethora of galaxies in the background hundreds of millions of light years distant.

Photographed in Bucharest, Romania. This was the first total solar eclipse over Europe in 40 years.

This shot of our sun was captured with a Lunt80 Solar scope and Flea3 video camera. A stack of several hundred frames were used to make the final image.

This composite was made from 7 film images taken during the Great European Eclipse on 8-11-1999. Photographed from Bucharest Romania with a 130 f/6 Astro-Physics refractor telescope.