The astrophotographer is like a messenger
The night is dark on the Parmelan plateau. Between the two chalets of the refuge, perched at 1,825 meters, a small group of regarding fifteen people huddle together to protect themselves from the icy gusts of wind. In the middle of the circle, under the faint red glow of his headlamp, Philippe Jacquot’s eye slips into the bezel of a telescope. With a steady hand, he makes the final adjustments that will allow the novices he guides to observe the stars twinkling above their eager eyes.
It’s been two decades since the 59-year-old from Annecy, a world reference in astrophotography,…