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meteors over Stonehenge by Josh Dury
Josh Dury-a cosmic force !
Astrophotography at its best from a master!
07/02/2025
The bundle of pure energy and excitement that is Josh Dury hit our Zoom screen last night, with a two-part presentation that amazed us all with its sheer brilliance. Josh is a young landscape astrophotographer who, in a very short space of time, has become internationally acclaimed, winning a clutch of prestigious awards, and who now, much to his own surprise, is regularly being endorsed by none other than NASA!
Josh enthusiastically shared the trials and tribulations of his journey from a seven-year-old fascinated by space he observed through a simple telescope, to the talented astrophotographer he has become, via a degree at UWE and a period of demotivation during the Covid lockdown. It seems he has a knack of being in the right place at the right time, with the right equipment, in terms of recording Solar Eclipses and the Northern Lights, such that his timely photograph of blue and green flashes over Glastonbury Tor first catapulted him to international fame. Mindful that Lockdown had negative effects on his photography, Josh has bounced back big time, and whilst his photos from the far reaches of the Outer Hebrides and Dallas are stunning, he reminded us all of the opportunities that are relatively local to us - Corfe Castle and Norton Henge near Wimborne. It was his Sigma- inspired photo of 43 meteors over Stonehenge in Wiltshire, that caught the eye of Tim Peake, and was widely shared on social media by none other than Buzz Aldrin!
Josh is a great ambassador for the lenses and filters he uses, but he is also on a mission to spread the word about the dangers of light pollution in our skies. The second half of his presentation documented his journey to Easter Island in October 2024, to witness the once in a lifetime Solar Eclipse, in a land where there is no light pollution to spoil the spectacle. “Te Pitu Te Henna” followed in the steps of Thor Heyerdal, to sit in the “ Path of Annuality” where Josh recorded images within the shadow that swept across Easter island producing the famous “Ring of Fire” in the skies and in his amazing images above the legendary statues of the island, that he reveres as “the living face of the ancestors”.
It was truly a clubnight to remember, and one which I know has inspired many of us, now acutely aware that there is a “planetary parade” due in the skies over Somerset on February 28th just waiting for our cameras.
Jenny Short.
07.02.2025
Josh enthusiastically shared the trials and tribulations of his journey from a seven-year-old fascinated by space he observed through a simple telescope, to the talented astrophotographer he has become, via a degree at UWE and a period of demotivation during the Covid lockdown. It seems he has a knack of being in the right place at the right time, with the right equipment, in terms of recording Solar Eclipses and the Northern Lights, such that his timely photograph of blue and green flashes over Glastonbury Tor first catapulted him to international fame. Mindful that Lockdown had negative effects on his photography, Josh has bounced back big time, and whilst his photos from the far reaches of the Outer Hebrides and Dallas are stunning, he reminded us all of the opportunities that are relatively local to us - Corfe Castle and Norton Henge near Wimborne. It was his Sigma- inspired photo of 43 meteors over Stonehenge in Wiltshire, that caught the eye of Tim Peake, and was widely shared on social media by none other than Buzz Aldrin!
Josh is a great ambassador for the lenses and filters he uses, but he is also on a mission to spread the word about the dangers of light pollution in our skies. The second half of his presentation documented his journey to Easter Island in October 2024, to witness the once in a lifetime Solar Eclipse, in a land where there is no light pollution to spoil the spectacle. “Te Pitu Te Henna” followed in the steps of Thor Heyerdal, to sit in the “ Path of Annuality” where Josh recorded images within the shadow that swept across Easter island producing the famous “Ring of Fire” in the skies and in his amazing images above the legendary statues of the island, that he reveres as “the living face of the ancestors”.
It was truly a clubnight to remember, and one which I know has inspired many of us, now acutely aware that there is a “planetary parade” due in the skies over Somerset on February 28th just waiting for our cameras.
Jenny Short.
07.02.2025