Tunç Tezel (born in 1977 in Bursa, Turkey) is a Turkish amateur astronomer, photographer and civil engineer.[1][2][3] He is a member of The World at Night (TWAN), an international program in which photographers from around the world capture images of night skies as seen above notable landmarks of the planet.[4] He is a member of Turkish Astronomical Society (Türk Astronomi Derneği)(TAD)[5] since 2007.[6]

Tezel is an avid eclipse chaser. In 2006 he completed the first ever Analemma photograph that included a total Solar eclipse, which is called Tutulemma, after the Turkish word for eclipse: tutulma.[7] This unique feat brought worldwide acclaim and publication of his photographs. Tezel's other specialty in night sky photography is capturing rare conjunctions and occultations of bright stars, planets and bright clusters near the Moon. He also creates dramatic all-sky and time-lapse photographs that capture meteors and the motions of the cosmos.[8] Photographing retrograde motions of planets has been one of his trademarks. His images have also been used in motion pictures.[9]

In 2011, he won the annual Astrophotographer of the Year contest held by Royal Museums Greenwich in Earth and Space category with the picture titled Galactic Paradise.[10] He was amongst winners of Astrophotographer of the Year contest twice more, with the picture "Sky Away From The Lights" awarded as Highly Commended in Earth and Space category in 2012[11] and "Diamonds and Rubies" Highly Commended in Our Solar System category in 2014.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Short biography". The World at Night (TWAN). Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Astrophotographer portraits". Michael Stecker. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Gece ve Fotoğraf (in Turkish)". Fotoritim. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  4. ^ "About The World at Night". TWAN website.
  5. ^ "Türk Astronomi Derneği (TAD)".
  6. ^ "TAD Member List".
  7. ^ "The Making Of Tutulemma". SpaceWeather.com. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Tunç Tezel TWAN Gallery". The World at Night (TWAN). Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Motion picture credits". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Astrophotographer of the Year 2011, Earth and Space". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Astrophotographer of the Year 2012, Earth and Space". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Astrophotographer of the Year 2014, Our Solar System". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 29 September 2014.