John Chumack imaged M15 September
9, 2006, from his observatory at the
Yellow Springs Research Station in Ohio.
John Chumack
Fraser Cain, podcaster and web guru behind Universe Today, recently wrote a piece regarding advanced observers' home observatories for Wired's web site. With observer profiles, astrophotography, and instrument shots, the article introduces readers to some of the leading astroimagers and their advanced equipment.
Even if you aren't a lifelong reader of Astronomy, you'll recognize some of the astroimagers featured by Cain. John Chumack observes from Chumack Observatories at Yellow Springs Research Station in Ohio. He often will observe from his home observatory in Dayton or drive to image from darker skies. A dedicated astrophtographer, Chumack will sometimes use Arnie Rosner's Rent-A-Scope Observatory in Mayhill, New Mexico, for online observations and imaging.
The story also showcases Brian Lula's Heaven's Glory Observatory I in central Massachusetts and Heaven's Glory Observatory II in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. His images appear in Astronomy frequently. He also writes for the magazine occasionally. In the August 2005 issue, you'll find his instructional article "Image like a pro."
It is easy to think of these serious hobbyists as "amateurs," but that's not always the case. Steve Mandel, who observes with his group from Hidden Valley Observatory in Soquel, California, uses a Takahashi FSQ refractor and a 16-inch Ritchey-Chrétien to study high-galactic-latitude dust. Thanks to their efforts, Mandel and his team recently received 20 hours of time on the Spitzer Space Telescope to shoot dust clouds they previously imaged at Hidden Valley.