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The topic has me thinking WAY too much BUT astrophotography would seem to me to be the zone where art and science meet (rather than an either/or space). The problem for me is that the word art seems to imply some kind of freedom to do whatever you like to make a pretty picture, or that certain framing or other ‘artistic’ rules need apply. It certainly can mean this, and very often does, but did Picasso, Rembrandt etc. set out to make ‘pretty pictures’? Rather I would suggest they wanted the viewer of their art to see the world and themselves in a different way: to challenge the viewer to see beyond themselves to the world and time they inhabit. Imaging things in the sky CAN share similar goals to this concept of art, asking us to wonder at things beyond our usual frames of reference. Sure, its a long bow to draw saying that my ****ty image of M45 (or whatever) is comparable to ‘Guernica’ or ‘The Night Watch’ but I think the intentions behind both share something very human and altruistic. Going deeper, getting better gear or acquisition techniques are all (for me at least) about seeing more of what’s out there and it’s crucial, if we are to experience this as a challenge to a closed narcissistic world view, that that extra detail is as ‘real’ as possible!l The artistic aim is in sync with science in this way. Fake detail is a lie to both oneself as an ‘artist’ (you’ve achieved nothing in getting over yourself!) and a betrayal of the viewer (we know it’s fake!). It’s also clearly fake science and we feel equally let down.
From another perspective eggy stars, an abundance of noise, a lack of clarity, excessively clipped images, rings around stars also all alert us to the act of photography and processing rather than the striking ‘reality’ of what is being imaged. We don’t need to be Picassos or Rembrandts but just by ‘respecting the light’ we can share in an equally scientific AND artistic pursuit. Chilling under the stars I would say is something of an ‘artistic’ experience too perhaps?
Or you can just put some cool pics on Facebook and leave it at that :-)
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