Skipper Jim is also an amateur Astronomer with an observatory in his very own back yard. Your tour won’t be complete until you stop into the observatory for some spectacular celestial viewing.
Let Skipper Jim share his vast knowledge and show you how to move amongst the constellations and locate their hidden secrets of beauty.
The sky that may now seem to be an endless maze of stars will take on a host of very recognizable patterns and you will learn to navigate these ancient constellations and cherish the beauty whenever you see them over head.
I have read many accounts written by people who like myself, share something that can be described only as a passion. That passion for me as it is for thousands of others, is astronomy. I suspect that most of us have feelings that are very similar and our reasons for loving this hobby as we do, are much the same. Some of us probably as far back as we could remember, looked up into a starry sky and lost track of time as our minds wandered through uncountable stars and infinite space.
As for me whether I’m gazing into the night sky or staring at a photograph of a rich starry field, the consequences of so many exciting possibilities stir my imagination as I travel unrestricted and spellbound. I see a universe so awesome in all of its parameters and feel somewhat sorry that not only is it difficult to encourage others to look, but I can visit only through my imagination.
The iron atoms in the hemoglobin of our red blood cells, the oxygen that sustains our life, the carbon that enables the formation of long chains of molecules, all were forged in the cores of massive stars. After our very brief stay, those atoms will go back to the earth and eventually find their way to the cores of other stars. Yes, we were, we are, and will forever be a part of this enormous universe.
Jim Gillard
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