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Contact information
website
http://www.starrywonders.com
.
Locator Map
http://www.frappr.com/apppublic
Level of accuracy: State of Massachusetts, USA
Biography
see:
http://www.starrywonders.com/aboutme.html
I am a
physician at an academic medical center in Boston, MA. My love of
astronomy began in childhood, when I received a small, department store
Newtonian scope and was disappointed to see that none of the objects
looked like those in magazines. I promised myself that once my training
was done and I was settled down, I would once again return to astronomy
and capture the wonders of the night sky through photography.
So now it's about 40 years later, and I find that there's not much more
free time! But my passion for astronomy, cosmology, and photography have
found a perfect outlet in astrophotography, and it has become an addictive
hobby. I find myself imaging on almost every clear, moonless night (which
isn't that common in New England), often after a long day at work. I
started with an LX90 and
film-based work,
quickly transitioned to digital camera astrophotography, and finally
settled into CCD astronomy. Although I live near Boston, I image in the
darker skies of North Smithfield, RI at my old homestead, which means that
I must travel 50 miles to and from my imaging site every session. My
equipment is
relatively modest,
I don't have an observatory, and I have to set up and take down every
session. However, there is a great deal of high quality astrophotography
that can be done with short focal length equipment, and I have always
believed in making the most of what you have. The images that I've
captured still amaze me, and I take none of their beauty for granted.
Processing every image is an exercise in discovery, and I love the
excitement of seeing an image appear before my eyes, and realizing that I
captured it with my own equipment and skills.
I have published several research and clinical articles in my professional
life, but I am just as satisfied when one of my astrophotography images is
felt to be worthy of publication. Astrophotography has become a part of
my life, and it has added a dimension of enjoyment that I could not do
without. Also, the internet has greatly enhanced my experience in this
hobby, since it has allowed me to share images and ideas with other
astrophotographers around the world. Some of my nicest astrophotography
interactions have been in cyberspace, since I don't have much time to
attend astronomy meetings due to my schedule.
I hope that you enjoy my webpage, and that you derive as much satisfaction
as I do from this wonderful hobby!
Astrophotography publications
see:
http://www.starrywonders.com/publications.html
.
magazines
Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, Sky Watch
'05
Professional Journals
New England Journal of Medicine, 336:1207, 1997, Hale-Bopp
Awards
SCT-User Imaging Competition, First Place, Prime Focus Film Category, 2003
SCT-User Imaging Competition, First Place, Deep Sky Digital Camera
Category, 2004
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day,
July 28, 2004
Observing site
North
Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Limiting visual magnitude is about 5.5 and it is
class
5-6 on the
Bortle Dark-Sky
scale
Astronomical Equipment
see:
http://www.starrywonders.com/equipment.html
Telescopes
Takahashi Apochromat Sky90
Meade
LX90 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain
Mount and autoguider
Losmandy G11 mount
SBIG STV autoguider
CCD camera
Starlight Xpress SXV-H9 monochrome CCD camera
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