has been an important part of my life for over 35
years.
I like deep-sky
observing and planetary about equally
well. I've owned a lot of telescopes, and
am presently satisfied with
the seven I have:
- Astro-Physics 155mm f/9 EDT refractor
- 10" f/6 Starsplitter Compact Dobsonian with Nova optics
- 3.5" Questar Maksutov
- 92mm Astro-Physics Stowaway refractor
- 3" f/6.5 Jaegers refractor
- 40mm Coronado PST
- Celestron Omni XLT 150mm Reflector
Read how I, a humble man of less than ordinary means, came to possess these legendary telescopes.
Experience even more levels of detail as I wax enthusiastic over this fabled instrument.
Discussions of various telescopes I have owned, plus some accessories.
Discover the pulse-pounding origins of my involvement in amateur astronomy.
A few photographs from this amazing event.
An essay about the seasons and observing
Another essay about observing
A story about a shuttle launch
No Messier objects here...but nothing especially difficult, either.
My views of the most impressive celestial event anyone has ever seen.
We could use a few more comets like this one.
Watching Saturn pass in front of a bright star is pretty trippy.
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2009
2006
2007
2009
Mostly auroras, with a few other things.
Notes on a few pairs which are particularly challenging or significant in some way.
Read no farther! I warn you, don't look at this!
Are your telescopic ambitions somewhat modest? Maybe this inexpensive little scope will interest you.
A humble periodic comet makes an unexpectedly big impression.
My friend Dick Bower and I shot these on the night of September 1-2, 2008, with his Canon Eos Rebel XTi DSLR and my AP Stowaway refractor (92mm f/6.6) on my Losmandy G11 mount. I did a careful polar alignment using the G11's polar scope which was so good I got away with unguided exposures up to 10 minutes long. Most of the full-size images do exhibit some trailing, but it's less apparent at these small image sizes. Exposures ranged from 2 to 10 minutes. The Pleiades shot is a stack of 5 images. In all cases I messed around in Photoshop to reduce noise, adjust colors and contrast, and so forth, seeking only to produce a nice-looking picture.
A few notes on observing this famously elusive object over the years.
