Another year has come to an end. I always like to end the year with a review of the successes, challenges and learnings of the year.

I was shocked to realize that in 2023 I only posted one image here on AstroBin. Technically two, as the first was the 2022 review. The one I posted, though, I consider to be one of my all time favourites, living in the wall of my observatory. But a lot more happened this past year.

Astrophotography, and especially being part of this awesome online community, is one of my dearest activities. I did not forget you, and continue to log in, like, sometimes comment, and also became a submitter as well. But my time has been a lot more limited, both to properly process and to prepare images for posting here. Of all the images that make this review, none were actually published! Some I consider to be done with processing, some are still work in progresses. Life is happening, as I progress in my academic career as a PhD candidate, and have also had the opportunity to have a research stay with a different institute, since September, where I am currently. Actually, I moved continents this year, and am currently residing in Aachen, Germany! Needless to say, a lot was - and is - going on.

2023 saw me realize a long time dream of visiting the Atacama desert in Chile! That was a dream trip in April, in the best possible company with fellow astrophotography friends. Four images from Atacama made it to this review! I have about a dozen DSO and a dozen nightscape photos shot from there.... Man, how much data I still have to process! The whole Atacama story deserves its own post, and I intend to write it soon, as well as publish the images, as I manage to finalize them. 

Since relocating to Germany, I also could photograph the Northern Hemisphere sky for the first time, in September! Two results from that night are in this review, can you spot them? The whole Northern Hemisphere also deserves its own post.

A lot has happened in my life, and, despite my inactivity here, I am far, far from leaving this hobby!! I have much, much, to tell you about, and I like to write thoroughly - which prevented me from really making new posts. Maybe one of my 2024 goals will be to find a middle ground - writing good image descriptions and doing careful processing within my current reasonable time constraints, but also be more active here, and, at the end of the day, get more images out of the hard drive.

I end asking you all, my friends, how was your 2023, and what are your plans for 2024?

Wishing you all the best, peace, health, love and happy moments with those dearest, and of course clear skies and awesome images in 2024!