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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")
Mounts
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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