Dentist Spends His Weekends in the Alps Creating Incredible Astrophotography

Nicholas Roemmelt Meteor Milky Way Selfie

German photographer Nicholas Roemmelt spends his days examining people in the dentist's chair and his weekend in his “second office”—the Alps. For the past 20 years, Roemmelt has spent his evenings in the mountains, letting his creativity run wild. And for his efforts, he's come away with some of the most incredible astrophotography.

Perhaps his most well-known image is his 2018 composite of the Milky Way and the Perseid meteor shower taken from Mount Tschirgant in the Alps. In order to bring the image to life, Roemmelt shot frame after frame, but in most of them the meteor wasn't in the composition. Thankfully, he kept at it and was rewarded with the now-praised image, which was recently named NASA's Astronomy Photo of the Day.

“It is, of course, a blend of different pictures, but the camera wasn’t moved between the different captures, so it’s not a fake composite,” Roemmelt tells My Modern Met. “The foreground, the Milky Way, and the [Perseids] shooting star have been together in one single picture.

“I then added—and blended—the pictures for the exposure bracketing due to the bright lights of the city and a focus stack with the person in the foreground.”

Roemmelt's incredible portfolio proves that this image wasn't a fluke, as his skill is evident. Whether climbing a mountain under the stars or tucked into the ice for a good night's sleep, he always has his camera ready. And the results are a testament to his adventurous spirit.

“I always want to take the viewer with me on my hikes and climbs,” he confesses. “I love to place a human element in the landscape to give a scale to the scenery and so people can better identify with the scene. I want the viewers to wonder how it feels like to stand there at the edge of that cliff under a sky full of stars in the middle of the night.”