Carole Pope - Astronomy background.

I have been interested in Astronomy since I was 11 years old when I was bought a book by my grandmother about Astronomy.  I joined the Astronomy  club at Grammar school.  

I then didn't do anything serious in Astronomy for 30 years during my time raising my children and my Opera Singing years both as a soloist and a professional opera singer.   Though I did take great interest in the Apollo Missions to the Moon and the Voyager missions to explore the outer planets.  

In 1997 along came comet Hale Bopp and my interest was re-awakened, though I only had a set of binoculars then.  This was followed 2 years later by the total Solar eclipse that was passing over Cornwall, though I travelled to the outskirts of Paris to see it.

In 2004 there was the transit of Venus and gradually I found myself attending events at Greenwich.  After one session in the Planetarium I got into discussion with the presenter who tipped me off about the annual GCSE in Astronomy that took place at Greenwich every year and I subsequently signed up for this gaining a Grade A the following year.  

From there I joined a local Astronomical Society and after a few years of looking at the wonderful images being produced by some of the members there, I gradually got into Astrophotography.

To those of you who have taken up Astrophotography, you will know what a big learning curve it is, and for some-one who didn't grow up with computers having to learn how to use them "on the job" so to speak, it was even more of a learning curve. 

Unfortunately I live in SE London/NW Kent where the skies are very light polluted making both visual and Photographic Astronomy extremely difficult.  Narrowband imaging works better than broadband as it selects only part of the spectrum, so that is my saviour when imaging during the winter months and the Pandemic when I am unable to get to darker locations where I go with other Astro chums and camp for a few days.   I have tried to mark the locations of my images.  On the Bortle Scale my home location is Bortle 8, and my campsite locations are Bortle 4. 

I hope you enjoy my images.  

Carole Pope    

If any-one wants to contact me my old my E Mail address is   carolepope (at) gmail (dot) com   I don't regularly use this address because it got spammed, but I do look in from time to time, however I am reluctant to give out my regular address on line.  Be prepared to get a bounced E Mail back from it saying why I don't use it any more.  

Otherwise you can find me on various Astro forums as Carastro (SGL, BYA, TSS) 

Astronomy Talks:

I have over the last few years been asked to give talks on Astrophotography and Astronomy.  

I went with the society Outreach group to Schools where we took equipment and I gave talks to the children on the Moon and the Sun.  Also the Cubs and Scouts in the area. 

Various other talks include:

Talk on Iceland in the Isle of Wight. 2013 

St Mary Cray Action Group 2013

U3A in Deal in February 2015

U3A Photography Group in Bromley 15th January .2016

West Wickham Rotary Club on 3rd May 2016

Kelling Heath Star Party, in September 2017

Orpington Oddfellows in March 2019

U3A, Hadleigh Essex September 2019

West Wickham Photographic Group 2019 

West Wickham Photographic Group Booked again 2022