I first attended a meeting in 2008 and had been attending meeting off and on for about a year. I eventually joined in March of 2009. I joined the club because I was looking for people who had a similar interest and passion for astronomy. I had a small telescope and wanted to make more use of it than what I had been doing. I eventually made it out to a star party and was hooked. Joining the club had made astronomy a much more fun hobby than I ever thought it could be. My favorite objects to observe are open clusters. I don’t think it gets any better than when you are looking at M11 or the Double Cluster and having it fill the eyepiece with bright blue stars! I like the fact that you can make shapes and designs from the star patterns in the cluster. Simply beautiful! My favorite aspect of astronomy is the observing part of it. I really do like the challenge finding objects in the sky, because when I do find the object it’s a pretty neat experience. I currently have three telescopes: a 4.5″ Meade reflector, 8″ Orion dobsonian, and a home built 12.5″ Cave-Astrola dobsonian. I have had the 4.5″ since I was about 10 years old and got the other two about a year or two after joining the club.
I also play softball throughout the summer and fall months. I was a member of the Cornhusker Marching Band for 5 years and am apart of the Big Red Alumni Pep band playing the Tenor Saxophone. Look for me on Gamedays! I also volunteer at Lincoln Berean Church on the broadcast team. I ran the Lincoln Half-Marathon in 2010 and look forward to running it again in 2013. I watch alot of Netflix and enjoy watching TV.
