Club Affiliations
I maintain active memberships and ties across regional astronomical organizations:
- Lima Astronomical Society: Serving local observers and public stargazing events in West Central Ohio.
- Stillwater Stargazers: Community astronomy outreach and dark-sky observing.
- Greater Hazleton Area Astronomical Society: Maintaining my roots with the Pennsylvania astronomical community where my observing journey began.
West Ohio Astro Imagers
West Ohio Astro Imagers is an informal, mentor-focused group that meets regularly in my garage workshop. It is not a formal club—there are no officers, no dues, no meeting minutes, and no formal agendas.
Instead, it was created to help newer astrophotographers avoid the painful, expensive trial-and-error phases of long-exposure imaging. Members range from local observers to imagers who travel over an hour to attend. Meetings center on:
- Hands-on hardware troubleshooting and mount adjustment.
- Image processing teardowns in PixInsight, N.I.N.A., Ciril, and any other tools someone uses/
- Practical shop talk and rig customization.
If you are an active or aspiring astrophotographer in the region and would like to attend a meeting, please reach out via my Contact Page.
Equipment Testing & Preservation Service
Over the years, I found myself helping families and estates evaluate, bench-test, repair, and rehome specialized astronomical gear left behind by passed observers. Navigating complex optical tubes, heavy German equatorial mounts, electronic focusers, and specialized camera adapters is often overwhelming for surviving family members. My process focuses on equipment preservation and community stewardship:
- Direct Ownership & Acquisition: To comply with secondary-market platform guidelines (such as Cloudy Nights and AstroMart), I take formal ownership of the equipment inventory.
- Bench Testing & Inspection: Every optical tube, mount, eyepiece, and electronic accessory is individual bench-tested, cleaned, and evaluated for proper functional.
- Rehoming to Observers: Gear is priced fairly for fast sale, ensuring high-quality optical equipment finds a working second life in the hands of active stargazers while returning the maximum possible financial proceeds to the family.