Hello there,
I'm delighted to join Astronomers Without Borders! Thanks for having me!
Just a quick intro. I'm originally from the UK, grew up in Australia and now live in central Texas. I have had a life-long passion for astronomy, and have over 30+ years experience as an advanced amateur astronomer. I have my own observatory at home under Bortle 4 skies, which happens to be a 10'x12' roll-off-roof observatory which houses several different kinds of scopes that I change periodically as I target different objects. I love astrophotography, and while my images are nowhere near as good as others, I find it a fun, challenging hobby.
I also am lucky enough to teach astronomy at the Eagle Eye Observatory, which is part of the Canyon of the Eagles Resort (owned by Vista) in Burnet, Texas. This observatory is a large roll-off-roof building with several larger scopes. Along with the resort's full-time astronomer, I provide one-hour long tours of the night sky, explaining the various objects that we observe and talking about current astronomical developments and discoveries. The observatory is open to both Resort guests and outsiders. I get such a thrill introducing new people to the night sky and talking about it and feel very lucky to have this position.
For now, I am attaching a photo of the inside of my own observatory, and then will post a follow-up blog about what I do at the Eagle eye Observatory in more detail.
Cheers for now,
Phil