Accolades
However humble in my accomplishments, I was suggested that I should have a page containing any milestones and accolades I have achieved in astrophotography. Here are some of the most significant ones:
- Was added to SBIGs Hall of Fame (the original page was removed as SBIG moved to Diffraction Limited's website) and received SBIG's Award for Excellence in Astronomical Imaging in 2011. SBIG has described their Hall of Fame to be a recognition given to imagers who push the envelope in amateur astronomy.
- Received the 2010 Pleiades Award from the Advanced Imaging Conference Board of Directors in December 2010. The Pleiades Award is an award for "rising star astrophotographers".
- Received the 2011 AANC Amateur Award from the Astronomical Asociation of Northern California, for "outstanding and continuous support in distinguishing and fostering Amateur Astronomy".
- I have given talks, workshops and presentations at many different events. To name a few of the most significant ones for me:
- Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC) in Santa Clara, California
- Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) in Pasadena, California
- Australian Astro Imaging Conference (AAIC), Surfers Paradise, Australia
- STARMUS, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
- San Jose Astronomical Association, San Jose, California
- RNAA, in Monterey, Mexico
- etc.
- Several of my images have appeared in magazines and publications such as Astronomy Magazine, Sky and Telescope, Ciel et Espace, National Geographic, etc. and TV programs for TV channels such as the BBC, National Geographic or The Discovery Channel.
My work was also used in the remake of the classic COSMOS series, "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey".
- Winner in the Deep Sky category for the 2009 Astroimaging Contest, by Astronomy Magazine.
- 2010 Astrophotographer of the Year, by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, Deep Sky Winner.
- 2011 Astrophotographer of the Year, by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, Highly-commended entry (3rd shared place) in the Deep Sky category.
- 2012 Astrophotographer of the Year, by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, Second place in the Deep Sky category.
- 2013 Astrophotographer of the Year, by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, shortlisted entry (Top 10 for the category).
- 2014 Astrophotographer of the Year, by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, Highly Commended (3rd shared place) in the Deep Sky Category.
In all, five significant results, five years in a row in this highly regarded contest. NOTE: In 2015 I decided I would not continue participating in this contest. - Over 60 times featured in NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day
(APOD) (we'll be updating dates and numbers every once in a while, should more
images appear on the APOD)
- Two of my Orion wide field images were used in the Orion's flyby scene for the Hubble 3D movie (by the way, if you haven't seen the movie, you should!). This was kind of cool because they actually transformed my flat 2D image into a 3D stellar field!
- Some of my images, such as the Witch Head and Rigel, have been used in the Discovery Channel series Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking.
(I also had a chance to meet Stephen Hawking once - such incredible honor).
- The Orion's Deep Wide Field image showcased at the Rubin Museum in New York City for 6 months, between December 2009 and May 2010 during their "Vision of the Cosmos" exhibit.
- On October 4, 2017, the Madrid Planetarium opened a two-year long exhibit with 18 large backlit displays of my best deep-sky images, which became an instant success.
Over 120,000 people visited the Planetarium during the first four months of its opening, and counting!
NOTE: If you're reading this, it means the exhibit is still happening (I'll update this note the moment it ends), so if you're in Madrid, check it out!
- My images have appeared in many, many calendars from different sources ever since 2009.
- Too many to mention individually, many observatories, planetariums, books, including book covers, and other media have used some of my images in one way or another.
- The Orion, From Head to Toes image was selected by Bad Astronomy (Discover Magazine) as the #1 top astronomy picture of 2010. This was also the first time this award was given to an amateur image, which in previous years it was always given to images produced by professional observatories or space telescopes. Out of the other 13 images that made it to the top list, only one was also produced by an amateur astrophotographer, being the remaining 12 images from professional and space observatories.
- Orion, From Head to Toes was also featured full page on the printed version of National Geographic Magazine
(and on their web site), seven years later. This image also appears on the Wikipedia page of the
Orion constellation.
- Our physical Gallery in Sunnyvale, California was the first art gallery 100% focused on astrophotography and nightscape photography to ever open its doors, still being the only one at the time of this writing.


My exhibit, Deep Sky Colors, at the Madrid Planetarium
Major Image Accomplishments
Every image can be, and often is, an accomplishment on its own. Rather than listing every moment I felt I had accomplished something substantial, here I am including only some of those accomplishments that were significant within the astrophotography world, "first time ever" images and major accomplishments as highlighted by peers and followers.I am leaving out some achievements , but I'll edit the page as I recall them. With over 1,000 images officially published over 10 years, one looses track of things sometimes!
All claims are made after a considerable attempt to make sure they are legitimate. While most of them are known to be 100% accurate, in a few cases I cannot know with absolute certainty, for example, if there was an earlier image about a particular object or area of the sky captured by someone else if such image was never published or doesn't easily appear in detailed and standard searches. That said, this list is public, and any claim you feel is incorrect, please contact me at rba@deepskycolors.com and I will definitely amend any claim if is proven to be incorrect or outdated.























