Amateur Astronomers

Amateur Astronomical Observatories Web site by Bill Arnett. Features small observatories built by amateur astronomers. A great resource and inspiration if you have a desire to build your own personal observatory. Categories include Vendors, Roll Off Roofs, Domes, and Piers for your telescopes, and several related miscellaneous links.

Andrew Borg Andrew Borg is an amateur astronomer from Malta. His web site features the construction of his 10 ” Split-Ring telescope, and his 10 ” EQ telescope. Andrew provides detailed instructions and pictures of the building process on both of his interesting telescopes. Andrew built his Split-Ring based on Joe Pearson’s plans for building a Split-Ring telescope.

Ann Dittmer’s Lunar Photography Lunar images by Dr Ann Dittmer Prof. of Geology at Cal State Northridge University. Dr. Dittmer uses an Astro-Physics 130mm f/6 EDF Refractor. Breathtaking lunar images.

Astro-Nut Lunar images, deep sky, solar & planetary, tools & tips from Paul Hyndman.

Astronomy by Robin Casady Robin’s web site provides a gallery of her Astrophotography. She is a very accomplished amateur astronomer, and captures stunning images. Robin also has a web site that sells astronomy accessories from “Casady ‘n’ Company, LLC” a company in Oklahoma owned by Tom Casady.

Astronomy for All Web pages from Tasos Christodoulides an amateur astronomer living in Cyprus. His web site provides links to many Astronomy and Space web sites, observing guides, Solar System and Lunar guides, SETI and Astronomy software.

Astronomy For Beginners Web site created by Gavin Vincent an amateur astronomer from the UK. Features include astronomy basics, astrophotography galleries, equipment, observing guides, and additional links to related web sites.

Astronomy With Cosmicmark Mark Cunningham Mark Cunningham is an amateur astronomer from Craig, CO. His web site features a gallery of his Astrophotography. He has his own observatory equipped with a Meade 16″ f4.5 reflector telescope.

Axel Mellinger Astrophotography Axel Mellinger is a Physicist and Astrophotographer from Potsdam, Germany. His web site offers an outstanding gallery of his astrophotography. Images of galaxies, comets, and deep sky objects. Be sure to look at his beautiful panoramic All-Sky images of the Milky Way galaxy. He also includes some of his articles, his book (a star atlas available only in German) and his poster the Celestial Sphere (available from Sky & Telescope), and links to related web sites.

Backyard-Astro.com Web site of Math Heijen an amateur astronomer from the Netherlands. His web site provides information for the Beginner, astronomy equipment & accessories that he uses, information on the Constellations, Math’s observing reports and images, and numerous links to related web sites.

Bill Dickinson Bill is an amateur astronomer from Richmond, VA. His web site features his astrophotographs, building of his 16″ f/5 truss telescope, observing logs, drawings, star party pictures and useful links to other we sites.

Bob Bunge Astronomy Bob is an amateur astronomer from Bowie, MD. His web site features his Mars observations, his telescope collection, solar eclipse photography, astronomy articles that he has written, and astrophotos.

Brad Wallis Brad Wallis features a photo gallery of imaging using both photographic imaging & CCD imaging. He and colleague Bob Provin use Astro-Physics EDF refractors, Losmandy GM 200 equatroial mounts and SBIG ST-4 autoguiders. Also Brad uses a 12.5 inch f/9 Ritchey-Chretien. You may still be able to find a copy of their book “A Manual of Advanced Celestial Photography”. Links to related information, imaging tips and other websites.

Brenda Culbertson Brenda Culbertson is the Observatory and Planetarium Coordinator at Washburn University of Topeka. Brenda is very active in Astronomy Education and Public Outreach. She is an accomplished amateur astronomer and has earned several observing certificates from the Astronomical League and The American Association of Amateur Astronomers. Her web site provides observing reports, many of her photos, and links to other Astronomy web sites.

Carsten Arnholm’s Astronomy Page Carsten Arnholm is an amateur astronomer and software engineer from Norway. His web site features many of his Images of the Sun, Mercury (transit images), Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Deep Sky. He also discusses imaging techniques, astro equipment, and provides links to astronomy software that he created.

ccdsky.com Mark McClure Astrophotography Lunar images. Mark uses an LX200 and he has built a home observatory.

Chris Vedeler Chris Vedeler is an amateur astronomer from Catalina, AZ. He built and uses a home observatory for observing and photography. He provides a nice accounting of the construction of his observatory on his web site. His web site features a gallery of images of the Solar System, Deep Sky Objects, Technique articles he has written, CCD images, and numerous links to other amateur astronomer’s web sites.

Clay Kessler’s Astrophotography Page Clay Kessler’s web site features a Gallery of his Deep Sky Astrophotos, his ATM Projects, his articles that he has written in the past, and notes on his image processing.

Dale Carey Stargazer Dale Carey is from Virginia Beach, VA. Dale is an avid amateur astronomer and a member of the Back Bay Amateur Astronomy Club. He is very active in astronomy outreach and public education. Dale provides basic observing tips and has numerous astronomy links on his web site.

Dale Keller’s Amateur Telescope Making Dale Keller is an amateur astronomer living in Denver, CO. His web site provides information and pictures about his telescope projects, Parallelogram Binocular Mount, and a Piggyback Guider for Astrophotography. He also offers information on Newtonian Telescope Design.

Dan Bakken Dan Bakken is an amateur astronomer from Spokane, WA. His web site features the construction of his 41.2″ Truss telescope named Hercules! A great web site to visit and see how a large mirror is completed. Dan provides photos and text describing this project. Dan also teaches Astronomy part time at Spokane Falls Community College.

David Haworth David Haworth is an amateur astronomer from Camas WA. His web site provides observing guides for the beginner, a gallery of his Astroimages, sky maps, information & guides for Astrophotography, and many links to related web sites.

David Ratlidge David is an Astrophotographer and author of several books including his latest “Digital Astrophotography – The State of the Art”. His website contains links to CCD imaging technical information, his books, Webcams, telescope projects, his observatories, Digital SLR imaging, related websites and a gallery of his astrophotography.

Dennis Webb’s WWEG Site Dennis Webb is a published author, Senior Manager at NASA, and amateur astronomer from Texas. His web site includes, information for the beginner, notes from past lectures, Imaging tips, and an image gallery of his Astrophotos.

Doc G’s Info Site Dr. Greiner is a retired Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison Wisconsin. His web site features information on imaging, optical equipment, accessories, observatory design, and software. He uses several telescopes, a Meade 12″ LX 200, a 16″ SCT, and a 17″ Dobsonian.

Doug Snyder’s Planetary Nebulae Doug’s web site is a wonderful guide to understanding Planetary Nebulae. Many features for deep sky observing, understanding filters, image gallery, and a large collection of observing reports. Very educational site. Also see his other web site Palominas Community home of the Palominas Observatory, and read about his discovery of Comet Snyder-Murakami C/2002 E2.

Dr. Eric Flescher Black Sun Eclipse Solar & Lunar Eclipse site, many useful articles, and links, image gallery, educators lounge.

Ed Grafton Ed Grafton is an amateur astronomer from Houston, TX. His web site focuses on CCD imaging. Ed offers a large collection of his astroimages which include Solar System objects, and Deep Sky objects. Ed also includes a basic manual in the use of CCD’s he compiled with Al Kelly. Additional links to related web sites are also available.

Gary Wolanski Telescope projects Amateur telescope maker featuring handcrafted lightweight metal truss telescopes. Models include a 10″ F/5 grab & go scope, a lightweight 16″ F/5 featured in Sky & Telescope Aug. 1999 issue.

George Reynolds George Reynolds is an amateur astronomer from Virginia Beach VA. He is a member of the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers Club and a NASA Solar System Ambassador. George’s web site features his NASA activities and outreach work in the Norfolk, Hampton Roads community. George is a wonderful example of sharing his love of astronomy with the public. George’s web site also provides a few of his favorite links.

Greg Babcock Greg is an amateur astronomer from Vancouver, WA. His web site features a gallery of his telescopes and their construction, an image gallery (many eclipse photos) comets and other photos, star parties, astronomy books, and several links to additional astronomy web sites.

Guillaume & Jennifer Dargaud For a change of pace you will want to visit Guillaume’s astronomy page. He observes from the Concordia Station in Antarctica! Lots of interesting information and some beautiful photos auroras, icebergs, and the sun taken during his visits to the station. I won’t ever complain about cold weather again!

Hartmut Frommert’s Astronomy Page Hartmut is a contributor and author of many articles and publications available on the SEDS web site. He shares his astronomy activities and observing guides on his web site.

Herm Perez Astrophotography Astro imaging gallery of deep sky objects, articles on imaging.

Johan Dolfing Johan Dolfing from the Netherlands observes near a town called Assen (Dutch-TT) His website is a portal with a lot of links about astronomy and space, all written in Dutch so you will need to use Babelfish or other translating program.

Jack Newton Jack Newton is a popular Canadian amateur astronomer, author, photographer and astronomy consultant. His images have appeared in Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, Sky News, and numerous other publications. His web site provides a gallery of his images, a link to Arizona Sky Village, a residential community for amateur astronomers, and numerous related links to other web sites.

Jan van Gastel’s Astronomy page Jan van Ganstel is an amateur astronomer from the Netherlands. His web site contains information and a discussion with images and diagrams of several ATM projects. He has provided details of building a 20″ and a 12″ Dobsonian Truss scope, a Parallelogram Binocular Mount, EQ platform, and other ATM projects. In English & Dutch.

Jeff Medkeff’s Home Page Jeff is a contributing editor for Sky & Telescope, information on Jeff’s Robotic Observatory & software. Visit his observatory web site as well. He maintains a mailing list for those with an interest in observatories and a group on Yahoo for amateur astronomers.

Jerry Lodriguss’s Astrophotography Jerry is the author of “Photoshop for Astrophotographers”. His web site presents a Deep sky image gallery, objects list, articles, and digital techniques. Jerry’s images have been featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day and in numerous astronomical publications.

Jim Ferreira Web site from Jim Ferreira features video imaging for the Astrophotographer. He maintains an Email list ” VIDEOASTRO” for those primarily interested in equipment and techniques for video astronomy and high resolution video capture astrophotography.

Jim Miller’s New Jersey Night Sky web site has information for the Beginner, ATM, Observing guides, forum, and web links.

Jim Pennington Jim is an amateur astronomer from Louisiana. His web site provides information on astrophotography, a basic tutorial on astrophotography, a gallery of his images, his backyard observatory with pictures and tips for building your own observatory, and related links to other web sites.

Jon Brewster Jon is an amateur astronomer from Monmouth, OR. He is a very lucky astronomer because for a time he worked at the Canada-France- Hawaii Telescope facility atop Mauna Kea. His web site includes Astrophotography techniques, deep sky and solar system images gallery, his observatory, observing tips, and links to related web sites.

John Dobson Mr. Dobson is the founder of the “Sidewalk Astronomers Organization”. Mr. Dobson has had a profound affect on the world of amateur astronomy world wide. He is known for his controversial views on Cosmology. As Mr. Dobson says, ” I am allergic to the Big Bang” ! If you are new to astronomy you will soon learn about the Dobsonian telescope. Mr. Dobson continues to travel the world and holds telescope building classes across the globe. If he is in your area it would be very worthwhile to attend one of his classes or presentations.

Keith Cooley Keith is an amateur astronomer living near Athens, AL. Keith’s web site features information and guides to astrophotography, and astronomy links. His gallery offers images of his 35mm photography, a moon section, astrophotography tips & tools, and several links to other related web site. Also see his Dark Sky Locator web site.

Larry Robinson Larry Robinson is an amateur astronomer from Olathe, KS. He has an observatory equipped with a Meade LX200. His web site provides Asteroid information & discoveries by his observatory(1999 RB35), information on his visit to Kitt Peak, Astro Images, building his observatory, CCD imaging tips and information, and related links.

Mel Bartels Author of many articles, developer of software for motorized telescopes. Mel is an accomplished amateur astronomer from Oregon. Mel was honored for his contributions to amateur astronomy by having asteroid 17823 Bartels named after him. His site has links for articles on optics & mountings, astronomy software, and a good compilation of links for the amateur astronomer.

Michelle Stone Michelle is an amateur astronomer from Mariposa, CA. She has a homebuilt observatory, equipped with a C11 SCT, a Vixen 102mm refractor on a Losmandy pier. Her web site features an image gallery, photos of the observatory and it’s construction, book reviews, and links to her telescope web site for custom built Plettstone Telescopes.

Ole Neilsen’s Astronomy Site Ole is an amateur astronomer from Rijswijk, Netherlands. His web site features Astrophotography using video cam, film and CCD equipment. He has an image gallery, information on equipment and techniques, and links to related web sites.

Paul J. Mortfield Paul Mortfield is a professional astronomer by day at the Stanford Solar Center in Stanford ,CA. At night he is an amateur astronomer. Paul is with the SOHO/MDI Education & Outreach program at the Stanford Solar Center, Stanford University. He is very proactive in taking astronomy to students in schools across the country. His web site features a gallery of his astrophotography and some beautiful images from the total eclipse in 1999. Be sure to visit the Stanford Solar Center web site to find out more about the Solar science research they conduct at the center.

Peter Abrahams Peter Abrahams is an amateur astronomer from Portland OR. He is the President of The Antique Telescope Society. His web site offers a collection of articles, and a bibliography on the History of the Telescope & Binocular. If you are interested in the history of telescopes be sure to visit the Antique Telescope Society web pages.

Peter Katreniak Peter is an amateur astronomer from Slovakia. His web site features his Astrophotography. Peter uses CCD and Videocams for his imaging. Peter has an image gallery of Solar Eclipses, Messier Objects, Comets, Deep Sky, Double stars, some of his Equipment projects, and links to related web sites.

Phil Harrington Author of “Star Ware” & “Touring the Universe through Binoculars”, and many other fine books. Phil is a renowned amateur astronomer from New York. Currently he is an instructor in Astronomy at Suffolk County Community College. In addition to his books Phil is also a contributing editor for Astronomy magazine, and he has written extensively for other astronomy publications. He also has an Astronomy discussion group on Yahoo “Talking Telescopes”. His web site offers a list of his books and CD ROM’s, and links to the Dark-Sky Directory.

Philip Perkins Philip Perkins is an amateur astronomer from Wiltshire, UK. His web site “Astrocruise” provides a gallery of his dazzling images and prints. He also includes information for Astrophotographers, CCD imaging, & film techniques, a comprehensive guide to LX200 Polar Alignment, articles on imaging and techniques, and a large assortment of links to related web sites and other amateur Astrophotography web sites.

Randy Brewer’s Astronomy Web Randy is an amateur astronomer from Texas. He uses a Takahashi FCT-150, a Takahashi Mewlon 300, and an 18″ Dob Truss scope. His web site provides an Image Gallery of Nebulas, Galaxies, Clusters, Solar System objects, and other miscellaneous photos of his scopes, visits to Star Parties in Texas, and related links to other web sites.

Ray Gralak’s CCD Imaging Ray Gralak is an amateur astronomer from San Jose, CA. He uses a several telescopes to obtain his CCD Images, Takahashi FS-128, 3 different Astro-Physics scopes, a 10″ Ritchey-Chretien , and an 18″Truss Dob. He offers a gallery of his Hydrogen Alpha Filtered Solar images, and Deep Sky objects.

Richard Bell Web site created by Richard Bell, a student at Western Michigan University. He has links to 332 amateur astronomers personal pages. He also has his own very nice personal page with excellent astronomy links.

Richard Berry Author of, “The Handbook of Astronomical Imaging Processing” and, “Build Your Own Telescope”, along with many other exceptional books for the amateur astronomer. Richard is a member of the ISS-AT Amateur Telescope team, he has been instrumental in the implementation of this project which is supported by the Astronomical League. Very educational web site for getting started in Astrophotography and CCD work.

Richard Navarrete Richard is an amateur astronomer from Oakland, CA. He uses a TeleVue 101 refractor, and a Meade 8″ SCT. His web site provides many of his astro images from Mt Lassen and Fremont Peak, and links to related web sites.

Rod Mollise’s Astro Land Author of “Choosing and Using a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope”. SCT user mailing list and Yahoo group, SkyWatch Newsletter, reviews, plans to build a barn door tracker for astrophotography, and image galleries.

Ron Kohl Ron’s website feature a gallery of cosmic images and his observatory located in Lakewood, NY. His gallery includes Moon, Nebulae, Globular Clusters, Comets, Supernovae, Galaxies, and Quasars. Ron’s telescope is a 20″ Cassegrain instrument.

Ron Wodaski’s Astronomy Stuff Author of, “The New Astronomy” How to Capture the Stars with a CCD Camera in Your Own Back Yard. Solar, planetary, Messier, supernova, Hydrogen-Alpha images. Reviews, tutorials, very informative site for astrophotography.

Ron Zincone’s Astrophotos Ron is an amateur astronomer from Richmond, RI. Ron uses a Celestron G8, and a 4.5″ Newtonian telescope. His web site features a gallery of his Astrophotography, observing and imaging notes & tips, and links to his favorite Astronomy sites.

Russell Croman Russell is an amateur astronomer from Austin, TX. His web site features galleries of the Solar System, Star Clusters, Galaxies, Nebulae, and Wide-Field & Composite images. He also includes information & resources for astrophotography. Russell uses a 14″ f/10 RCOS Ritchey-Chrétien Cassegrain, a Meade LX 90, & Meade 10″ LX200GPS, a Tele-Vue NP-101, and a Philips ToUCam Pro camera. Many of Russell’s images have been published at APOD web site.

Stephen Tonkin Renowned author of many astronomy books including, “Amateur Telescope Making”, and “Astrophotography and CCD Imaging”. Many of his tutorials are contained on this site, along with information and FAQ’s for the amateur astronomy community.

Steve Lee’s Astronomy Page Steve Lee is an amateur astronomer and computer programmer from Australia. He works as a night assistant at the Anglo-Australian Observatory. He has been building telescopes for 30 years. He provides information and photos of his many telescopes, his parallelogram binocular mount, description and photos of his home observatory, information for the ATM and on CCD imaging. Steve’s web site has many pages, a link to the The Anglo-Australian Observatory and other related web sites.

Tom Campbell’s Amateur Astronomy Tom Campbell is an amateur astronomer living in Kansas. His web site provides his tips for the beginner, his observing logs and guides, DIY projects, some of his Astrophotos, and links.

Tom How Tom operates the Curdridge Observatory near Curdridge, Southampton, UK. He features the construction and use of modified webcams. Toms’ web site also discusses image processing, and stacking. The website provides several image galleries, and a do-it-yourself method to build your own dew-heater.

Tom Polakis Arizona Sky Pages Tom Polakis is a published author in both Sky & Telescope, and Astronomy Magazine. He is an amateur astronomer from Tempe, AZ. His web site contains copies of his articles, his Deep Sky CCD Images and drawings, his observations of Abell Planetary Nebulae, a link to download a Binary Star Orbit Calculator by Brian Workman, and Tom’s Eyepiece calculator.

Vic & Jen Winters Home page Vic & Jen Winter are amateur astronomers from Missouri. They are the Editors of the Astronomical Leagues Quarterly magazine “The Reflector”. Their web site provides information on a variety of Astronomy topics, Solar observing and Eclipses, Aurora Images and other Astrophotos, Star parties and Star Cruises. Links to related web sites.

Weasner’s Mighty ETX Site Mike Weasner is the author of “Using the ETX” . His web site is very useful for owners of Meade telescopes and Meade products. Tips, software, forums, accessory reviews, images gallery. Mike’s site has really grown and offers numerous pages and related links.

Wes Stone Wes Stone is an amateur astronomer from Chiloquin, OR. His web site offers a nice section called “Skytour”, for the beginning amateur astronomer. Wes also features his observing log, a sketch gallery, Discovery Dobsonian telescopes links, several general articles on various astronomy topics, and links to related web sites.

Astronomy Groups Online
The American Association of Amateur Astronomers When you are not close to an astronomy club, or when your local club does not offer the benefits of membership in the Astronomical League, you can find a home here in the AAAA. A wonderful group of astronomy folks on the internet. They welcome everyone interested in astronomy, no matter what their level of expertise – from novice to nationally recognized expert. AAA is an organization for all amateurs, with interests ranging from observing and astrophotography to CCD imaging, armchair astronomy, and the Internet.
Astronomy Clubs Around the World/Yahoo My favorite online group, lots of help, and good friends to help with your astronomy adventures. This is a site where you can ask all kinds of questions and they always help you out. Great for “Newbies”. This site is owned & moderated by Mr. Paul Greenhalgh, one of my favorite Canadian friends.
Astronomy Outreach Network Superb web site created by Scott Roberts. The web site is a wonderful resource for those looking for outreach information and contacts in the astronomy community. Links for astronomy events, clubs, organizations, astronomy speakers, Astro-imagers, and they also have an email list on Yahoo.
DarkSky-List/Yahoo Site is owned and moderated by Mr. Cliff Haas. Site provides an Email list to discuss Light Pollution and reform. Links to the International Dark Sky Association, files and links to related topics.
Google Astronomy Groups Google provides a list of 3,781 Astronomy groups available. In the amateur astronomy category they list 781 groups.
Night Sky 45/Yahoo Yahoo group for my home astronomy club in Salem, Oregon.
Open Directory Open Directory is comprehensive database and search engine. Similar to Yahoo & Google but with out all the adds. The Astronomy category includes links to over 2,984 web sites, 548 are listed in the amateur category.
QCUIAG QuickCam and Unconventional Imaging Astronomy Group from the UK. Online group focuses on unconventional astronomical imaging, and using QuickCams. A great group to post your “Deep Sky”, imaging questions to. Articles, archives, and image gallery.
TAC The Astronomy Connection is an amateur astronomy group from the San Francisco Bay area. This is not a traditional astronomy club. They bring together amateur observers via the Internet to exchange ideas, news, information, and meet new amateur astronomy friends.
The Radiant Meeting place for amateur astronomers, and students of Ken Hewitt-White’s class “Introduction to Astronomy at Barnes & Noble University.
Talking Telescopes/Yahoo Site owned & moderated by Phil Harrington. A great site to learn about telescopes, and accessories. Many informative links & files and extensive discussions.
Observatory Construction

Paul Andrew Paul is a UK based lecturer in photography and multimedia, and amateur astronomer. His website provides a very thorough description with text & images of his roll-off roof type observatory. Lots of details, telescopes & equipment and photos.
Tom How Curdridge Observatory Tom How’s website provides detailed information and images of the construction of his observatory. His website includes a gallery of astronomical images, equipment and imaging techniques, and several links.
Yahoo Homemade Astronomical Observatories Yahoo group to for individuals who have built or would like to build their own personal observatories to post ideas, suggestions, questions, successes and bumps in the road. 1,830 members, very active group.
Dave and Michelle Lane The Lane’s dome type observatory “Abbey Ridge” is located in Stillwater Lake, Nova Scotia Canada. Dave provides text and images of the construction of their observatory, telescopes and equipment, and images. Dave & Paul Gray have discovered two super nova 2005ea & 2005B. Nice web site.
Doc G’s Info Site Dr. Greiner is a retired Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison Wisconsin. His web site features information on imaging, optical equipment, accessories, observatory design, and software. He uses several telescopes, a Meade 12″ LX 200, a 16″ SCT, and a 17″ Dobsonian. Nice photos of his observatory and discussion of different construction methods and technical advise.
Joe Garlitz Joe features detailed construction plans and photos of his dome observatory located in Elgin, OR. Lots of technical information, and links to his CCD cookbook images.
Chris Vedeler Chis Vedeler’s observatory is located in Catalina, AZ. His website features detailed construction plans & photos of his roll off roof observatory. Also links to his astrophotogary gallery, CCD imaging, telescope equipment, and several related links.

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