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The man who coloured the stars: David Malin

Talking Australia
The man who coloured the stars: David Malin
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David Malin is a globally acclaimed astrophotographer, known for inventing new ways to capture the true colours of our night sky. These techniques also led to the discovery of two new types of galaxies. Born in the North of England he moved to Australia in 1976 to join the Australian Astronomical Observatory. In 1987 David discovered what is known to be the largest spiral galaxy so far – ‘Malin 1’. His passion for astrophotography is compelling, so much so that since 2005 he has hosted the annual David Malin Awards, which give astrophotographers a platform to present their work. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted and produced by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) at www.beachshackpodcasts.com . You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic

Science & Environment

GALLERY: The heart and soul of our galaxy

In swirling clouds of hydrogen, helium and oxygen, nebulae form our galaxy’s “heart and soul”. All of these elements combine and attract each other to forge together and create stars. As well as being baby star factories, nebulae come in fantastic shapes and colours. ‘Pareidolia’ is a human tendency to see faces and other shapes where there are none – like what you do when cloud watching. These cosmic clouds also take on a number of recognisable shapes, including two of the best recognised, nicknamed the Heart and Soul nebulae. Anne Johnston spoke to astrophotographer Terry Hancock about his passion for these cosmic beauties.