Mike joined the AAVSO, as an observer, in 1998 after retiring from the music business. He'd been keenly interested in astronomy since youth, but playing saxophone, flute and piano in smoky nightclubs and concert halls until the wee hours of the morning precluded doing any serious observing for decades.

Also a highly regarded landscape designer, Mike began amassing thousands of visual observations by night while designing and building landscapes by day, sometimes showing up to work with little or no sleep at all. "I guess you could say I had my hands and knees in the dirt, but my heart and head in the stars". As his passion for variable star science grew, so did Mike's involvement with the AAVSO in numerous volunteer efforts.

In 2003, Mike was placed in charge of chart production for the AAVSO. He and a dedicated team of volunteers produced thousands of new comparison star charts with modern, reliable photometry for use by visual and CCD observers. A tireless volunteer, Mike is also a contributing editor of the AAVSO publication Eyepiece Views, coordinator of the AAVSO Mentor Program, creator and administrator of the cataclysmic variable website CVnet, and most recently, a member of the AAVSO Education and Public Outreach Committee.

An animated and enthusiastic speaker, Mike has given dozens of talks on various aspects of variable star science to astronomy clubs, organizations and university groups throughout the Midwest. He coordinated the AAVSO Visual Workshop as part of the 94th Annual AAVSO Meeting in Newton, Massachusetts, and has been author and co-author of several scientific papers.

In the spring of 2005, Mike was honored to receive the AAVSO Director's Award in recognition of his:

• valuable contributions of variable star observations during campaigns in support of professional ground-based and satellite programs, and a cumulative total of nearly 42,000 visual observations contributed to the AAVSO International Database since 1998;
• extensive contributions in the area of AAVSO charts, including his leadership of the AAVSO Chart Team (formed in 2003), creation of thousands of charts for the AAVSO, investigation of suspected variable comparison stars, and working to improve chart sequences;
• fostering of variable star observing through his creation of valuable utilities such as the "Needs More Observations" (NMO) online tool for long period variables, mentoring of new observers, and passionate advocacy for excellence in observing.

In the fall of 2005, Mike was elected to his first term on the AAVSO Council, and in 2007 elected to 2nd Vice President.

Upon retiring again, this time from the landscape industry, Mike was able to enjoy the relaxed pace of life afforded him after years of hard work for exactly one week before being hired by the AAVSO Director as the organization's first full time Development Director. Mike is charged with raising funds to ensure the security of the organization's endowments as well as the continuity and growth of the valuable services, programs and staff of the AAVSO.

Mike's observatory houses two 12" LX200 telescopes, one for visual use and one for CCD observations, or as Mike likes to joke, "One for each eye!" Mike, his wife Irene, and their five cats live in the Michigan countryside, in a house overlooking a small lake, surrounded by horse pastures and cornfields. In his spare time, Mike enjoys maintaining their extensive perennial gardens, barbecuing, reading, writing, and obsessing over his fantasy football teams with his son, Jan.

Related Links

• Mike Simonsen's Variable Star Pages
• CVnet