My Journey with Astronomy

Astronomy is something that many people have the opportunity to brush up against at some point in their lives.  Even if their familiarity is only gained through glancing at a science headline or tweet about the latest discovery by the James Webb telescope, there is a normal curiosity for things astronomical. Maybe your first impression of the heavens was on a lazy summing night staring up at the stars while sleeping on a friends backyard trampoline.  Maybe you had an enthusiastic science teacher that took you on a school field trip to a local observatory.  Maybe it was a camping trip where the night sky could not be ignored in all its glory while you sat around a warm campfire with friends. Whatever your initial interaction with the night sky, even the most jaded can concede that once the door has been opened, wonder of the cosmos remains.  

Over the years, I've hosted or been a part of many star parties both scheduled and impromptu where people of all ages and walks of life stare in wonder while looking at the sky through even a humble telescope.  At every gathering, the same question is always asked, "what's up there"?  This genuine curiosity from awestruck sky tourists gives me hope.  We live in a world that is steadily growing more detached from the natural splendor of the universe around us and to awaken even a glimmer of interest in others is a payoff like no other.  I love talking to the uninitiated about astronomy, sharing with them what I know is "up there".  It never fails to lift my spirits when someone realizes that the bright light in the sky which they wondered about is an actual planet, with actual moons and they can see it in my telescope with their own eyes, no computer required.  I get so excited when someone stares at the moon incredulously, looking first through the eyepiece then at the front of the scope then back through the eyepiece.  Their response is often one of disbelief as the moon is so unbelievably sharp and detailed as to be labeled "fake looking".  There is no better way to kindle another persons wonder at the heavens than in these moments.  

I am not a professional astronomer by any stretch of the imagination and my involvement in this hobby has waxed and waned over the years but has never left me entirely. I was introduced to astronomy by my father who, one memorable Christmas, purchased a Meade ETX for the family.  

Courtesy of Cloudy Nights

An arguably humble instrument, it nevertheless was awe inspiring in its capabilities, having a new fangled computer control that could seek out specific targets at the touch of a button.  As a teenager I was smitten by the thought of looking up at the night sky and discovering hidden wonders.  Up to that point, what was up there was not yet tangible. We had no telescopes or books on astronomy in our home to fan those flames yet. I was just a dumb kid with a summer job and no money so the idea of spending several hundred dollars on an indulgence like a telescope was unthinkable to my pea brain. I was nevertheless sucked into the astronomical world with my fathers enthusiastic investment in it. It only took a few years for him to become a one man Smithsonian Institute with his collection of telescopes, eyepieces and one of a kind custom made astronomical gadgets.  The man has no shame when it comes to buying gear that would make a professional astronomer weep tears of envy. For many years I was the direct beneficiary of his generosity.  He allowed me to use and then eventually to inherit some of those telescopes.  My first real telescope was handed down to me in his ever widening search for the perfect instrument. It was a 12" Meade LX 200, in somewhat questionable condition having been stationed on a permanent pier in the backyard, but nevertheless serviceable.  In its day, this telescope was the 8th wonder of the world and I was an instant star party celebrity wherever we went.  It has since been retired with honor and I still have our original Meade ETX displayed proudly in my office at work, I'll likely be buried with it. I marvel at the joy the heavens have brought me personally using tools like that first small telescope and its successive replacements. While my own search for the perfect telescope has directed I go increasingly smaller and more portable, I'm still in awe at the bewildering array of hardware available from my father at a moments notice should I just ask.  What a gift he gave us by acquiring that first telescope and the successive years of exploration we have enjoyed while sharing this hobby. 

I've had many opportunities since that first Christmas to be exposed to amateur astronomy beyond that small telescope.  We joined and attended local astronomy clubs, frequented and hosted many of our own star parties throughout state, including many in Yellowstone National Park before the park service got into the act and started holding their own.  The crown jewel in my astronomy upbringings however had to be attending RTMC, a now defunct gathering of astronomers held annually near Big Bear Lake in Southern California.  

Courtesy RTMC

The Riverside Telescope Makers Conference was the Superbowl of astronomy for us, our family saw it as the only way to spend Memorial weekend for many years.  My father, then my sisters and I, then my own children attended this gathering of crazy sky geeks off and on for 25 years before it faded abruptly into the mists of memory and nostalgia.  RTMC was an eclectic gathering of amateur astronomers that became a defining feature of our family. It built in me an excitement rivaling any holiday as it grew closer each spring.  Pocket money was jealously hoarded in anticipation of the endless vendors and gear swap meets available that glorious weekend.  We would travel hundreds of miles from Northern Utah to be a part of it, leaving in the middle of the night after work to be at the head of the line for favorite campsites the next morning as the conference gates opened.  The joy at seeing familiar astronomer friends pulling up in old vans, trucks and beat up cars, ready to set up for a weekend of dark skies and comradery was like Christmas morning. 

Back then, all the big manufacturers came to make a showing at RTMC like Celestron, Televue, Meade, William Optics, JMI and a throng of others showcased the latest gear.  I recall navigating through crowds of thousands of eager people who came to see what the fuss was all about up at Camp Oaks.  It seemed like an unending stream of smiling people up for the day to enjoy the endless California sun and to see new things.  The center ring of this circus contained fancy computer guided telescopes and sideshow acts provided vendors hawking their wares and speakers on everything from sunspots to getting started in astrophotography.  Amateur astronomers who made their own mirrors, lenses, mounts, software, optical tubes, etc were celebrities who had us hanging on their every word.  At night it seemed like there were hundreds of telescopes of all descriptions in telescope alley and on the two main telescope fields. Proudly shown by their owners and open to any curious sky watchers who wanted to test the waters of what different gear could do.  There were top optical engineers who attended, people who worked for JPL and NASA, scientists both professional and casual in just about every imaginable field who seemed to make their way to the high desert mountains like a holy pilgrimage each year. Maybe you can tell but it made a deep impression on me growing up. Those where halcyon days where it seemed like Astronomy was the center of the universe (literally and figuratively) and where all the cool kids hung out.

We had many great years at RTMC but as I got older and had a growing family, I skipped one, then more conferences as the demands of life got in the way.  Each year I was able to go back, it seemed things were just a little smaller, the booths just a few fewer and the big names conspicuously absent. Only the most devoted were attending and interest from the public declined to the point Camp Oaks no longer wanted to host the conference and a long standing partnership was in jeopardy. I believe the last year coincided with RTMC's 50th anniversary, and in 2019, the conference at Camp Oaks was shuttered forever.  Sky and telescope did a great article on its decline and ultimate fate in this article. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/rtmc-well-loved-astronomy-expo-ends/ It was as if a loved one had passed on, though not unexpectedly, after a long heartbreaking decline.  Attendance had steadily diminished over the years from the thousands until the numbers were in the low 100's, with hardly if any public attending at all.  It was the end of an era as my fathers generation tried unsuccessfully to pass the flame onto my generation.  Ultimately, the torch was left abandoned in the California dust in favor of a new universe containing electronic frontiers found on the internet.  This was a hot topic of discussion in the last few years of the conference as its leadership struggled with ideas to capture the imaginations of a younger demographic.  Astronomy, amateur radio, electronics, hobby shows, rock collecting and other passions of my parents generation fell to the wayside as time inevitably ground forward.  All was not lost for me thankfully, I was still able to share my passion sporadically through the years as a scoutmaster and youth leader, hosting star parties on the weekends in my neighborhood and at boys and girls camps.  But the society of my youth had disbanded, forced to solitary isolation away from our extended astro family who gathered at RTMC through declining public interest and the economic necessity to fund the event. As a result, some of my flame for astronomy dwindled as I've tried to find new footing.  

When Covid struck the world stage and placed a stop on gatherings while causing a fear of the unknown and our fellow humans, astronomy took a distant second to anything else in my life. On reflection, I could have still shared my love of the heavens through a blog such as this one or a you tube channel but alas, such is 20/20 hindsight. Maybe I was scared or just lazy but I never connected those dots. I've always felt that astronomy is a full contact sport, requiring you to participate in person with your eye to the glass, pen and paper in hand to record what you see.  Missing those personal connections afforded by in person star parties and gatherings put a huge damper on my enthusiasm for what has been a very social event all my life.     

I'm 52 years old now and the whisperings of nostalgia have become more of an audible voice in recent days, prompting me to revisit those things that brought me joy throughout my life. Perhaps it is, that when a man or woman reach a certain age, it becomes expedient to look afresh upon those old things that were once cherished because that is what we know and it is what brought happiness in its season.  I have collected many telescopes over the years and have even made my own, being very selective in what I keep because finances are always stretched and an astronomer can go bankrupt very quickly when he or she succumbs to "aperture envy".  Until recently, I rarely unboxed and set up my gear despite good intentions and occasional requests from family and friends to see the stars. I do still have the same wonder that flamed to life those many decades ago with the stars, I just have not acted on my desire to gaze with wonder at the heavens through perhaps an apathy of spirit. That changes today with a new resolution to continue my exploration of the heavens alone if needed, or with a group of my best friends if possible. 

I've undertaken this journey before but even a journey completed can provide new wonders if again undertaken. The waterproof pelican cases and overflowing bags that protect my beloved gear have grown dusty from disuse but they patiently await the day I return to them to resume my wandering. My house is no longer filled with the laughter of children. My career is well established and mostly in hand, yet I am searching for continued meaning in my own personal universe.  Once I made a realization a few months ago that it was they sky calling again, there was a desire to share it with others and give back to the countless men and women who shared their spark with me. 

With this blog, a new adventure in itself, I hope to gain new friends, new wisdom, new joys and most importantly, help pass a love of astronomy to some other soul that is also awed by the splendor of the heavens.