Josh Dury Interview: Award-Winning Astrophotographer, Speaks About His Viral Stonehenge Image

Josh Dury, also known as ‘Starman’, is an award-winning landscape astrophotographer, speaker and writer from Mendip Hills National Landscape in Somerset, United Kingdom.

His images are recognised by NASA, ESA, BBC & CBS, famous astronauts and many others. Orbital Today has spoken with Josh Dury about the Perseids over Stonehenge, which was recognised by NASA, the challenges and success moments of being an astrophotographer.

What got you interested in photographing celestial objects?

My astronomical journey began at the age of seven years old when I used to watch the television programme Biker Mice From Mars. As a youngster, this program captivated my imagination for life on other worlds. Because of them, I was gifted my first telescope. I wanted to look for the planet Mars. I remember fondly, my first object I viewed through a telescope was the planet Jupiter and its Galilean moons. I was forever mesmerised to think that we could see other planets and surface details from so far away. Months later, I was finally able to view Mars for the first time. 

I wanted to document my experience somehow – this is when I turned to astrophotography. I remember the days of using webcam-style cameras using my telescope to capture images, which would be deemed poor by today’s standards, but they inspired me to keep going. Inevitably, my narrative evolved throughout my education to photograph “nightscapes” – landscapes at night. Not only can planetary and deep sky photography be more expensive, but I also wanted to test myself more. To capture images that demonstrate our perspective in the universe.

I studied photography at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol, UK, and graduated with first–class honours. I am now pursuing a career as a landscape astrophotographer.

What was the most memorable stargazing place in your practice?

During my career, I have been very fortunate to travel to some of the most sought-after locations for astronomy. The most noticeable for me, was the Atacama desert in Chile, South America. Being quoted as the darkest skies in the world, I had never before seen the night skies of the southern hemisphere. Not only being able to observe new stars and constellations, the depth of the sky took me back and is an experience that forever changed me.

What are the most challenging aspects of capturing clear and detailed images of celestial objects?

There are many challenges and hurdles when it comes to landscape astrophotography. The first one is the mercy of the weather. Photographing the night sky is determined by cloud cover. Yes, it can be said that some cloud obstruction can add another layer into your images. However is rather crucial when we consider celestial events, such as eclipses and auroras.

Astrophotography is a very niche medium. It requires the photographer to photograph in low-light environments. For this, we deal with a series of longer exposures to balance out details of celestial objects. So, specialist equipment needs to be used, from a range of wide, fast lenses to low-light cameras as well as filters.

Imaging for a very long time can easily drain camera batteries. To prevent movement in your individual exposures, you will need a stable tripod. Although this can seem daunting at first, it is a rewarding practice when you see detail on your LCD screen on the back of your camera.

Is it possible to take a good photo of the Moon, stars or other objects without a telescope, for example, on a phone?

It can be yes, however mobile photographic technologies are evolving all of the time. Not only have we seen the emergence of long-exposure photography on mobile phones, we are beginning to see the introduction of 8K filming. There is no doubt this will begin to revolutionise Astrophotography as we currently see it. However, with current technologies available, there are telescopes which can be used, to mount smart phones with to capture more details of celestial objects, including the moon and planets. The Vaonis, Hestia being such example.

Recently, your photo went viral after NASA chose it as the best photo of the day. After that, it was featured in the media and shared by many famous people like Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Nature’s page, etc.
What’s it like to become an author/artist of THAT ONE shot? Do you feel you are now one of the greatest celebrities in the astronomy world?

The photograph that was taken on Friday, the 9th of August captures the Perseid meteor shower raining down above the iconic astronomical monument that is Stonehenge in Wiltshire, UK. When I took this photograph, I treated it as any other photograph. I was not to know its destiny.

Over a period of three and a half hours I was able to capture 43 sub-exposures presenting meteors. Blending those layers together formed a composite image in a way that I had never seen before. I used a specialist fisheye lens with curved glass, which created a strong visual aesthetic for the meteors. Alongside such depth in the Milky Way, it took me the best part of one day to edit the final resolution. It just so happened that I was at a family celebration when I received the news from NASA. When I received an email from nasa.gov, at first I presumed it was spam, until I found it was the interest of NASA for this picture.

I found out the following day. The image had been selected as NASA’s astronomy picture of the day on Monday, the 12th of August 2024. I was completely over the moon – no pun intended!

It has always been a long aspiration of mine to have my work recognised by NASA. It doesn’t get much bigger than that in the Astrophotography world. Soon after, my image began to go viral. I was receiving so many notifications on my mobile phone, I simply could not keep up with it. To find my image has been shared by the likes of BBC, CBS, ITV, Sky News, channel 5 and many more media outlets, I was to say the least, positively overwhelmed.

Only to find by the evening, my image had been recognised by European Space Agency British astronaut, Tim Peake. I could not believe what I was seeing. Only this past week, I was able to present a copy of my photograph to a talk that Tim Peake was hosting in the city of Bath. It was such an honour.

One week later, on a Friday evening –  I was alerted by a photography friend to a post on X Twitter. Buzz Aldrin – the last remaining astronaut from Apollo 11 had shared my image. I was brought to tears. I could not believe that one of the most famous names in astronomy, who has stepped on the surface of another world had shared my image. This was an experience like no other and I am sure to never experience again. 

You were listed as an astronomy photographer of the year 2023 and have been well-known before. What’s your biggest accomplishment so far? 

Alongside the success of my NASA astronomy picture of the day, a moment that I will never forget is when I took the photograph that became known as the enigma of the North. Photographed from the Callanish stone circle on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, UK – when I took the picture, I had not picked up a camera in over six months. This literally was a life-changing experience. I had given up Astrophotography by this point and thought I would never be a successful photographer – so it just comes to show, you have to face your hurdles and your limits to obtain any chance of success. 

Looking back, I was a vulnerable photographer and I was not to know that experience would bring me two prestigious photography awards. Being shortlisted for astronomy photographer of the year in 2023 my image selected from 140 others with over 10,000 global submissions. The second being selected as overall winner for historic photographer of the year with my image, sunrise from Callanish. This is the moment I became an award-winning photographer.

In the past number of weeks, I have received a number of enquiries as to how I have made this possible. The only advice I can give to aspiring photographers is you have to work very hard. I have dedicated my life to the subject and to achieve my successes, I studied a three year degree and took it upon myself, to learn.

I feel within the past year, the Astrophotography community has really changed. You have to remain true to yourself and never be put off by competition. The key to success as I understand it, is to have fun.

What are your favourite astronomy photos (made by you)? 

There are many I can think of, some highlights being the moai statues of Easter island, to the northern lights from Tromso Norway and the total solar eclipse of April 8th from Dallas, Texas – the Lone Star State.

Have there been cases where people have used your photos without attributing credit? How did you solve this problem?

Unfortunately, yes. What needs to be remembered is that I, alongside many other photographers, am working as a freelance photographer. This is our business and profession. From studying the subject for a long time however, there are many ways to protect your images, a friendly reminder is enough, other times further action may be necessary. We are visual artists, and it is our duty to protect our work to inspire others.

Final word

Orbital Today would like to thank Josh Dury for taking the time to answer our questions and we wish him good hunting!