About Me

My fascination with the universe has accompanied me since childhood. The movement of the Moon and the sight of the winter sky with the constellation Orion sparked my curiosity and later led to my first photographic experiments with my grandfather’s analog camera.

From these early beginnings grew a passion that carried me from my first 8-inch telescope, through astrophotography during my university years, to projects beneath the Namibian sky. A special milestone was the establishment of the Chamäleon Observatory in Namibia, where I had the opportunity to photograph regularly under one of the darkest skies in the world.

Today, I work as a software developer and have realized my dream of owning a remote observatory with the Gemsbock Observatory. This allows me to combine my passion for astronomy with modern technology and to draw on many years of experience in astrophotography.

My Astrophotography Journey

First Steps in Astronomy
Even as a child in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), I was fascinated by the starry sky. The sight of the moon and the striking constellation of Orion awakened my curiosity at an early age. Using my grandfather's old analog camera, I took my first pictures of the moon and star fields, as far as was possible without tracking.
My first telescope was an 8-inch Meade LX10, through which I observed countless objects via the tilting skylight of my childhood room. The dream of taking my own astrophotographs continued to grow, inspired by numerous books, especially The Handbook of Astrophotography by Bernd Koch.

Early Deep-Sky Images
During my geodesy studies at TU Dresden, I had the opportunity to work with the university’s 60 cm telescope and a modern CCD camera. In addition to my thesis on exoplanet transits, I captured my first deep-sky images which marked the true beginning of my astrophotography journey.

My Path to Namibia
After completing my studies, I worked as a research associate in the field of Lunar Laser Ranging at Leibniz University in Hanover. During this time, I met Wolfgang Paech, an astronomical companion and friend who had a profound influence on my path. Together, we established the Chamäleon Observatory auf der Onjala Lodge in Namibia, für mich der entscheidende Meilenstein.
At the same time, I expanded my equipment (C11 EdgeHD with Hyperstar, Skywatcher Esprit 80ED, TS Photoline 130 mm). While many images were taken from the balcony of my apartment in Hanover, an increasing number were captured in Namibia where the dark skies were simply irreplaceable.

My Own Remote Observatory
After completing my PhD in Hanover, my path took me to southern Germany, where I now work as a software developer at Bosch eBike Systems. Astrophotography remains an important part of my life, particularly through the aesthetically appealing processing of images captured in Namibia.
In 2024, I realized a long-held dream with the Gemsbock Observatory my own fully remote-operated observatory. For me, this completes a circle from the initial fascination with celestial objects in the books of my childhood to capturing my own astrophotographs under dark skies.