Romanian astrophotographer Liviu Rabac worked hard for 9 different nights from January to April for this final picture.

Winter astrophotography in Romania isn’t easy—getting 23 hours of exposure away from home meant packing up all the gear, driving to a remote location, then assemble all the gear there. Sometimes, after he had set everything up, the wind would start blowing, making it impossible to capture images. “That’s it: pack everything up and head home. I remember one time in March (when the snow started to melt) I was stuck in the mud.” he said. Sleeping in car sometimes? “Yes, why not. I have to drive back home at 03:00 AM (and at 07:00Am I have to be a husband and a father) so I need to be as fresh as possible.”

All of this seems like a torture, but for Liviu Rabac, it’s far from that, he keeps going. “Being under a dark sky, away from city lights, is one of the best feelings a person can experience. You are there, connected to something, something mysterious, something that attracts you, something that amazes you. That’s astrophotography for me.”

That’s astrophotography. That’s the passion we share.

ZWO is proud to hear stories like these— behind every deep-sky photo is a journey worth telling.