Per Aspera Ad Astra
Per aspera ad astra is a Latin phrase which means “through hardship to the stars". When the pandemic hit in early 2020, and we were all stuck at home, I needed a way to continue my photography journey without leaving the house; it was finally time to try astrophotography. I had wanted to do it for years but was always discouraged by the cost and the complexity, but life is short, and a global pandemic reminded me of that. From my first blurry image in the winter of 2020 until today, several years after starting the hobby, I have made a lot of progress and have now been published numerous times in the world’s most significant astronomy publications, speak at events regularly, and host the YouTube series, Robservatory, which helps others get into the craft. I have even become the Director of Imaging with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Vancouver Centre and collaborate with the SFU Physics Dept. using the Trottier Observatory. Astrophotography is a slippery slope, and once you lose your footing, you are basically in free fall. In 2023, I began the efforts to build a small, private observatory on my rooftop, the Kitsilano Observatory. The stars are vastly distant, but a little obsession goes a long way!
About Robert G. Lyons
I was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada and have been a professional filmmaker and photographer for over 20 years. After several serious snowboard injuries, I picked up a camera to pass the time while recovering and fell in love with motion pictures. I decided to turn this newfound passion into a career. I attended the Art Institute of Vancouver’s Digital Film Production program in 2003 and soon found my first job on the Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis sets. I went on to work on many more shows and films over the years, was a cinematographer and editor at an action sports network, RIP TV, worked as Lead Designer with a publishing company, and was even an in-house Media Producer at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital for over five years. In 2017/2018, I produced and worked as the cinematographer and editor on the multiple international award-winning documentary series, House Call, with my future wife, Dr. Yvette Lu. Today, I mainly work on digital media projects in the education and medical fields. I am a lifelong learner, and I recently completed a project management certificate at Cornell University. I am now working on an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Space Studies with a concentration on astronomy at the American Military University in West Virginia. I’m always interested in collaborating on digital media projects, especially in the arts and sciences genre, so if you have a project or collaboration in mind, then please Get in touch →
