I am a chemical engineer by training who has always been fascinated by the night sky. As a young boy camping in upstate NY, I learned the constellations and often enjoyed views of the Milky Way. I didn’t know then that those views would be so hard to find today.
I returned to this early interest in 2017, with a goal of seeing the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (which I did from Madras, OR). That same year I got an 8 inch f/5 Newtonian telescope and an equatorial mount. Taking pictures with that scope followed, but I had much to learn. As a lifelong nerd, I dug into the photography part of astronomy.
Over the last few years my abilities have taken great strides forward. What I really love about this hobby is that it is (for me) the perfect balance of science, engineering and art.
Please join me while I talk about the journey that got me here, while sharing lessons I have learned, and problems I have encountered.