Meet Aaron Jenkin

I haven’t studied astronomy. The little I do know is from internet research and other astrophotographers. There’s a Welsh astrophotographer, Alyn Wallace, who posts monthly ‘What’s in the night sky’ videos, which are fantastic.

I really love photographing from the South West Coast Path, in particular the area around Land's End. The cliffs are so rugged and dramatic. I often return to the same area to shoot in different conditions.

Cornwall has beautifully dark skies, which is something that is becoming increasingly rare. I feel so lucky to able to spend most of my time under the stars, in one of the most scenic places in the world. The dark skies are seriously under threat, and simple changes in the types of lights used and positioning can make a big difference.

Cornwall has beautifully dark skies, which is something that is becoming increasingly rare. I feel so lucky to able to spend most of my time under the stars, in one of the most scenic places in the world.

I spend a lot of time planning, much more than I am actually shooting. I will always try to scout a location beforehand and arrive way before I need to be there. It's best to have lots of time to find compositions and get set up. I don't like to rush, and often find my best work was done when I had plenty of time.

Kit-wise, you actually don't need anything that outrageous to get you started… An entry-level DSLR or Mirrorless camera with the kit lens is quite capable of revealing the hidden details of the night sky. It's best to have a fast and wide lens, but learning the technique comes first.

After I am set up and start my timelapse, I have the rest of the night to watch the stars above whilst my camera is clicking away.

There are a few small shooting stars in the image, but they will only flash up for 1/24th of a second, as the video is produced at 24 fps. The objects you can see moving in the video are either satellites or aeroplanes.

You can start to see part of The Big Dipper towards the end of the video, but can't quite see it completely.

When looking at the horizon we are looking through more of the earth's atmosphere, so we are able to see fewer stars. The peachy hue is from distant light pollution or scattered light in the atmospheric haze. Similar to why a sunset/sunrise is orange, red light waves are scattered the least by the atmosphere. When light travels a long path through the atmosphere (close to the horizon), the blue light has been mostly removed, leaving mostly red and yellow light.

If you want to go out stargazing, pick a night close to the new moon, and a location far away from any towns or cities. It takes at least 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. So sit back, watch the stars and wait. Avoid looking at any lights, such as torches, mobile phones, or even lights in the distance, as you will have to wait for your eyes to adjust to the darkness again.”