I joined PAC in June 2008. I moved to Lincoln in summer 2007 to teach music education at UNL and was looking for a hobby or club to get to know people in Lincoln or otherwise provide some variety to life in my dull summers! I had always been fascinated with the cosmos, and after attending a Hyde Saturday and was invited to a PAC star party I believed this hobby the right fit. Through PAC events, NSP, volunteer outings I’ve felt a sense of belonging and contribution. My favorite objects in the sky would likely be the Lagoon, Swan, and Trifid nebulas. They are easy to find, look great in my size of scope, are always worth gazing at, and fascinate the public when they see them. My favorite aspects of the hobby are “the hunt” for objects, recognizing how few people in the world have the seen them in real time (i.e., not in a magazine or on TV), and showing a few more people things they didn’t know existed. Other hobbies I’m involved in are coin, stamp, and comic book collecting. Because my profession is music, I wouldn’t consider music my hobby, but certain aspects such as songwriting perhaps are.
I own a Zhumell 8” Dobsonian, Zhumell 10 X 50, Orion Ultraview 10 X 50, and Celestron Skymaster 15 X 70. Zhumell is in Omaha so it’s always nice to support Nebraska owned, plus I’ve been happy with them!
