My Life as an Amateur Astronomer
January 2006 :
I have always been fascinated by Astronomy. Growing up in Douglas, Massachusetts, I remember when I was a little boy looking up at the night sky, it seemed like there were millions of stars above. In 1962, the skies were velvet black. Light pollution didn’t exist at that time in my area. I was 6 years old then.
On Feb. 20th, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. At that point, I became enthralled with outer space, rockets, stars, planets, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. In 1967, I purchased a copy of Know the Stars by H.A. Rey. I absolutely loved that book and still have it today. I pointed my first pair of binoculars, with plastic lenses, at the brightest star I could find overhead and wondered if a boy on a planet around that star might be looking back at my solar system.
Well, 1969 rolls around and I was absolutely glued to the television watching live as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon. I was thrilled to say the least. My brother and I had built a Saturn V model rocket. It stood over 3 ft. tall. We learned about the different components and how they worked to help the astronauts accomplish their mission.
Later on, my interest in science grew through high school and college. My focus was on biology but I still had an interest in astronomy. While I was attending UMass, Amherst, I took a course in astronomy. I learned about types of stars, galaxies, nebulae, cosmology, and various other astronomical facts. The class was very enjoyable and interesting, but I didn’t know where any of these fantastic deep sky astronomical objects were located. After graduating from UMass, my family and career took priority. Today, I am working as a Surgical Technician in the Operating Room at a local hospital.
On Christmas, 1995, my wife gave me a pair of Tasco 7 X 35 binoculars as a gift. The first object I looked at was the Moon. It was a beautiful sight, but quite familiar. Next I pointed it at Jupiter. I was astonished at what I saw. There was Jupiter with four moons around it, 2 on each side, in line with the planet. Wow, I didn’t think a small pair of binoculars could resolve those moons!
Late March, 1996, comet Hyakutake appeared. I grabbed my binoculars and brought my daughter Lindsey, who was 9 years old at the time, out to the backyard. There it was, suspended overhead displaying a thin wispy tail. I held the binoculars for my daughter and helped her find the comet. “I see it, I see it!” she shouted, jumping up and down. I was so happy she was able to experience it. That was a moment I will never forget, our first comet. Talk about going full circle 29 years later, it’s amazing. March, 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp arrived. It was a magnificent sight in the northern sky, a visitor that traveled billions of miles. I wished I had a telescope.
June, 1997, the Astronomy bug bit again. One day as I was shopping, I passed a magazine rack and a copy of Astronomy Magazine caught my eye. There, on the cover, was a picture of M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. I was hooked. Captivated by all the fantastic astrophotography, the endless variety of scopes, and the idea that I could see a lot of these objects from my backyard, I needed to know more. I decided I was going to learn the sky with binoculars. Upgrading to Nikon 10 X 50’s, I used an old Apple computer to log objects that I observed starting with M45, the Pleiades, then M42, the Orion Nebula and so on.
After studying the sky for a whole year, I decided to get my first real telescope. The Meade ETX 90 spotting scope was my scope of choice. Since it was just an optical tube, no drive motors or computer, I was forced to locate objects manually using star charts. To this day I am so glad I took that route. This gave me a real understanding of the night sky which allows me to point out objects to people with ease. In 1999 I started attending star parties beginning with the Connecticut Star Party, CSP9. I learned so much and met many wonderful people at these parties.
Since the astronomy bug has bitten me so many times, I started to develop a condition known as “aperture fever”. The only cure was to build my own 8 inch f/6 reflecting telescope. I spent 3 months researching the internet, books, and magazines. With all the information I had gathered, I felt confident enough to begin construction in July of 2002. My new telescope saw first light on Sept 5, 2002, the day before CSP12. I was very pleased with the results. I was now able to search for DSO’s, objects beyond the reach of my 90mm Maksutov.
Seeking more knowledge and interested in joining a local astronomy club, I became a member of The Skyscrapers in 2003. The Skyscrapers is the best amateur astronomy club in all of New England. The members are the reason why it’s the best. I feel welcome and look forward to each and every meeting. The guest speakers at the meetings are topnotch and AstroAssembly is a wonderful event, not to be missed. The trips to White Mountain, Calif., and Arizona were outstanding. I would have never made those trips on my own. They were experiences of a lifetime. All this is possible because of the hard working, dedicated officers and members of this fine organization. The friends I have made at The Skyscrapers and star parties will always be close to my heart.
So what’s in store for the future? More trips, more star parties, and astrophotography, of course. In 2006 my telescope will be computer controlled which will allow me to take long exposure wide field and deep sky shots. The challenges of digital imaging and processing will keep me busy. And as always, I want to share my knowledge and experience with fellow amateur astronomers, and learn from them as well. That’s what being a member of an astronomy club is all about. The sky’s the limit. Stay tuned.
