Thank you for visiting my website, AstroWorldCreations. My name is Willem Jan Drijfhout and I live in Groningen, The Netherlands. In 2017, my astrophotography adventure started. At first an overwhelming adventure for sure. But the many forums and websites gave me comfort. They were major sources of inspiration and turned out invaluable tools to help me get going. In 2020 it is time to not only be a consumer, but also start sharing my experiences and be a contributor to the astrophotography community.

Space, the universe and related sciences such as astronomy, cosmology etc. always had my interest. As a teenager I watched Carl Sagan’s television programs and joined an astronomy club. I got a simple 11.5cm Newton telescope on my birthday. It gave me the first view of the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter and sunspots on the surface of the sun. But priorities shifted and astronomy took the backseat.

This changed during a visit to a star party at the Dominion Observatory on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada in 2017. It demonstrated that technological advancements had given amateur astronomers so much more options to enjoy the universe! Photography has always been an important part of my live. And there suddenly astronomy and photography came together as astrophotography.

The necessary equipment was bought, and a long learning process started. The first photo was from the Orion Nebula. Imagine the extensive clouds of gas and dust so unimaginably large and at such mind-boggling distances. And all captured from your own backyard with relatively modest tools. This excitement never fades.

Astrophotography does not come without its challenges. There are many things that can go wrong, and it’s not always clear what is right. This problem-solving journey of discovery and improvement is for me a large part of the fun. And on this website, I hope to share some of this with you.

Enjoy your visit here, and feel free to come back as often as you like, while I try to keep refreshing the content with new images and posts on a regular basis. And please reach out to me with feedback, comments, questions and suggestions.