I’ve been an avid amateur astronomer since I was 15 years old.  When I was 15, a friend of mine got small 60 mm refractor for Christmas.  We found Saturn.  I was amazed and hooked. 

During the next year, I couldn’t get enough of the sky.  Magically, the next Christmas, I got a my very own telescope, a 60 mm refractor. 

Later, I wanted a bigger scope and bought a Starliner 8” f/7.  I owned and enjoyed that for nearly 20 years. 

In 1988 or so, I joined the  Tri-Valley Stargazers (TVS) club astronomy in Livermore , CA.  Later, I became a patron member so I could use their big 17.5 inch scope.  I did this to get first hand experience with a big scope to see what I liked and did not like. 

After using it for 2 or 3 years, I decided I wanted a big scope.  At first, I wanted to buy a big scope, but I could not find what I wanted.  So, I decided to build one.   More about that in this site.

I created this website to share my hobby.  Designing and building a telescope has been a huge learning experience that has helped me in many ways.  I’ve had to learn about mechanical design, use beam deflection calculations, encoders, feedback systems, optics, and lots more.

If you’re wondering, no I’m not a mechanical engineer.  I’m a Materials engineer by degree and did that for about 20 years.  Now, I’m an operations manager in consumer electronics company.  I’ve been doing that for 13 years and counting.  My goal is to retire  in 3-4 years and enjoy what I want for a change. 

After building a new house, plan to upgrade the optical tube assembly (OTA) to a 25 inch (625 mm) f/4 or or so scope.  My over designed mount can handle it! 

What can  I say, in astronomy, BIGGER is better.