Michael A. Stecker
 masmd@sbcglobal.net
 


 


Giovanni Benintende
Sant'Agata Li Battiati
Sicily, Italy

 



Contact information
e-mail
info@astrogb.com
.
website
http://www.astrogb.com
.
Locator Map
http://www.frappr.com/apppublic
Level of accuracy: region of eastern Sicily, Italy


Biography
My name is Giovanni Benintende, but my friends and relatives call me Gianni.  I live in Sicily,
Italy where I work as a business software developer.

I was born in 1960.  During childhood I was fascinated by astronomical images seen in books
and at age 13 discovered the beauty of the starry sky for myself on summer vacation in the countryside.  When I was forty years old, a friend with a little refractor introduced me to astronomical observation when he showed me Jupiter and its moons. At that moment I decided to acquire my first telescope.  In a couple of years I upgraded my equipment so I could capture the images I remembered from my youth and in the spring of 2003 took my first CCD astroimage.  My explosive passion for the hobby led to more purchases and I now own high quality instruments.  I have had the satisfaction of seeing many of my astroimages published in astronomy reviews, calendars and also in TV.

With graditude, I have to thank my astroimager friend Rich Jacobs from Arizona, who helped
me  set-up my first astroimaging equipment and patiently supported  and guided me through my
early days.


Astrophotography publications
see: http://www.astrogb.com/pubblicazioni.htm
.
Magazines
 Coelum (Italy), Le Stelle, Nuovo Orione, Star Observer (Austria)
.
Calendars
Official Vatican Observatory Calendars (AZ) for 2005 and 2006
Nuovo Orione Calendar 2006
.
Television
RAI1, RAI3, RAI Edu "A scuola di stelle"

Observing sites
My Observing sites in Sicily are:
Borgo Franchetto, Morra, Tarderia, Mt. Etna north, 5000 ft s.l. and Mt. Lauro, 6400 ft s.l.,
the darkest sky in Sicily

Astronomical Equipment
see: http://www.astrogb.com/strumenti.htm
.
Telescopes
Takahashi BRC-250 (Baker Ritchey Chretien) 10-inch, F/5
Takahashi FSQ-106 refractor (4")
Takahashi FS-128 refractor (5")

Mount
s
Astro-Physics 1200 GTO
Astro-Physics 600E Servo

CCD Camera
SBIG ST-10XME



Giovanni with his Takahashi BRC-250 telescope and AP-1200 GTO mount

 

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