Yet another year is coming to an end. As 2017’s “sunset” approaches, it’s time to look back and ponder how has this year been. Specifically, regarding us, astrophotographers, it’s a good opportunity to look back and see how has the astrophotographic production evolved in the year. Has any new techniques been incorporated into the workflow? Was it successful? Any new gear? Any new workarounds, “fiddlings” and solutions? And, what about the end results - the images themselves? They are, however, at least for me, far from being the unique goal and the “main activity”: it’s more about the entire process than just pretty pictures, given the complexity of the different stages of producing an image. It’s indeed a time of asking ourselves how 2017 was.

Now, specifically regarding myself: 2017 was a great year. Gear-wise, I now have a new main imaging camera: a stock Canon EOS 80D. It has some great new features and IQ, and is also very much used for daylight photography as well. In the last months of the year, a new lens also found a place in my kit: a Samyang 135mm f/2.0, a speed monster, with stellar IQ. [See what I did here? ; )]. Many DIY solutions were attempted, and some even worked, and more projects are currently in development. But gear is not all of it: new techniques were incorporated, most notably autoguiding, enabling much longer exposures, higher keeper rate, and overall a jump in IQ. Mosaic creation was also a breakthrough, with a 3x3 mosaic of the Scorpion’s Head, with more than 140MP and a file with over 1GB. Furthermore, I also participated in the 20th Brazilian Astronomy Encounter, or ENAST. Last, but certainly not least, I strengthened relations with many fellow astrophotographers, and me some of them for the first time.

As far as images, these are my “best picks” of the year. A collection of nightscapes, nightscape-panoramas, and wide field DSOs, me being especially satisfied with the Chamaleon Molecular Cloud and the Rho-Oph Region Mosaic. Most of these images can be browsed in my gallery to see more details and at larger resolution.

Finally, it’s propitious time to ask and reflect: How was 2017? And what are the plans for 2018? I ask you all these questions, as I have asked myself - comments are more than welcome! Wish you all a prosperous, harmonious, productive and enjoyable 2018, with many imaging opportunities, achievements and clear skies!

Happy New Year to you all!