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Contact information
e-mail
editor@amateurastronomy.com
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website
http://www.amateurastronomy.com
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Biography
I am the managing editor of Amateur
Astronomy Magazine. My interest in astronomy started
when I was about ten years old and my father taught me the fundamentals of
celestial navigation with sextant and nautical charts while cruising in
the Bahamas and Virgin islands. At night I remember lying on the deck and
looking up into inky black skies as my mother traced the outline of
constellations and recited mythological lore. My interest piqued and faded
during my early adult years, and like many was rekindled by Carl Sagan’s
Cosmos series and later Comet Hyakutake, which inspired me to acquire my
first serious telescope. However, it was not until shortly after my wife
purchased a “GoTo” scope for my birthday (an act she probably regrets
now), that my interest rapidly advanced to the obsessive stage.
Astronomy
Tale
When I lived
in Dallas, I frequently imaged from a very remote area of Copper
Breaks State Park in the panhandle of Texas. One clear night in early
Spring I was well into an imaging session about 2:30 AM. I was enjoying
the tranquil beauty of this remote site and only half listening to the
hypnotic sounds of the packs of hyenas in the distant brush. It suddenly
occurred to me that the sounds were coming progressively closer, and from
all sides. Taking a quick inventory of potential defensive weapons, I
realized my vulnerability. I was not desperate enough to start throwing
Nagler eyepieces, but my battery pack was being considered. A thrashing in
the dark brush about 40 yards away made me reconsider and sent me
sprinting for the refuge of my car. With little concern for my dark
adaptation, I cranked the engine and hit the headlights. I could only make
out a pair of glowing eyes. The next day the park ranger informed that
there had been a mountain lion sighted in the area, which did not make me
feel much better. I never did identify this intruder, but tracks suggested
something smaller than a mountain lion. This was the first, but certainly
not the last of my late night encounters, which have included wild pigs,
skunks, raccoons and possums.
Areas of interest
Deep
Sky and narrowband imaging
Astrophotography publications
Amateur Astronomy, The American Astronomer, Several astronomy society
publications including The Cape Observer (S Africa), Treasure Coast, Utah
Skies
Observing site
Home site
My
home observing site is my side yard in Lebanon, TN (Lat 36.33 N, Long
86.37 W)
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Remote site
Chiefland Astronomy Village, Florida
Astronomical Equipment
Telescopes/mount
My new
primary imaging scope is an 8" Intes Micro Alter M806 F/6 Maksutov/Cassegrain
astrograph.
I still
use the Tak FS60c for widefield and a Stellarvue SV 102 f/6.9 refractor
for middle focal length shots.
CCD and cameras
Starlight Xpress SXV-H9 with MX-5 guider, low lux security cams, Olympus
OM-1 and Cannon DSLR
Software
Maxim DL, Desktop Universe, AstroArt, Starry Night Pro 5, Photoshop CS,
NEAT Image
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