Peter Maasewerd

Peter Maasewerd, an astrophotographer from Ascheberg in the southern Münsterland region of Germany, has made a name for himself with his extraordinary passion for deep-sky photography. A geologist and natural scientist by training, he started out in daylight photography before becoming fascinated by the night sky in 2014. With perseverance, care and technical skill, he succeeds in creating extraordinary images even under the challenges of light pollution and limited locations.

He laid the foundations for his current work with a small observatory he set up on the balcony of his house in 2018. This semi-professional observatory allows him to carry out largely automated recording processes, allowing him to combine his time-consuming hobby with his job. "The sky is full of fascinating events that are worth staying awake at night and freezing for," says the likeable photographer with a twinkle in his eye. He is particularly fond of faint objects such as distant galaxies, dark nebulae and supernova remnants. Using narrow-band filters and careful post-processing, Peter is able to reveal the colourful nebular structures of excited hydrogen and oxygen and other elements, transporting the viewer into surreal worlds.

A highlight of his work was the discovery of two previously unknown planetary nebulae in 2022. The first, "Hazy Pearl Nebula" (Maa 1, marker in image 1), caught his eye while he was photographing a supernova remnant. Only a few weeks later he discovered another nebula which he named "Salie's Nebula" (Maa 2, marker in image 2) after his daughter. Both objects, which now bear his name, were officially recognised after scientific verification and included in the HASH database¹. These discoveries are an impressive testament to his perseverance and analytical eye.

Peter's work is driven by scientific curiosity and a desire to make the invisible visible. He uses his scientific training to apply the principles of data acquisition and processing to astrophotography. Despite the increasing light pollution in his home region, Peter remains faithful to his environment to face the challenges and continue to capture unique images of the sky from his balcony. In the future he plans to travel to the last dark regions of Europe to further develop his mobile astrophotography.

Another highlight of his portfolio are his "tempographies", compositions made up of thousands of individual images. This technique allows him to aesthetically capture patterns of movement - a method used by only a handful of photographers worldwide. In addition to photography, Peter shares his knowledge through lectures and publications, including a forthcoming article for the prestigious British Webb Society (04/05 2025), which will feature his fascinating images of supernova remnants.

[ Text 10Photos ]

10Photos says: Peter Maasewerd's astrophotography combines scientific precision with aesthetic brilliance. His images transcend the limits of human vision and invite the viewer to experience the universe from a new perspective. His ability to achieve spectacular and authentic results even under difficult conditions is particularly fascinating. His discoveries show that, with patience and dedication, even an amateur astronomer can make important contributions to research. Peter's work is a fascinating example of how technology, science and art can come together in a harmonious whole. This is astrophotography at its finest, and thanks to Peter we can marvel at the wonders of our world, look up at the stars and feel a little sorry that we don't see what Peter sees. This is how photography should be, it should inspire and make us dream.

More of Peter Maasewerd's images can be found on AstroBin and Flickr , where you can also view his Tempographs and other images.

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¹) The HASH database (abbreviation for Hong Kong/AAO/Strasbourg H-alpha Planetary Nebula database) is a specialised database containing astronomical information on planetary nebulae (PN). It has been developed to provide a centralised and comprehensive resource for the study of these objects.

Maa 1 „Hazy Pearl Nebula“ | Maa 2 „Salie’s Nebula“

Note on the images: These were minimally contrast adjusted for 10Photos to make them look more brilliant. In astrophotography, however, deep blacks are often avoided in order to be able to see dark interstellar dust and faint objects.

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