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John Blackwell
John Blackwell and his
C8. |
In past Observer Profiles, I was listed as a software engineer living in
Concord, NH. A lot has changed since then, and some of my dreams have been
realized. In 2007 I received my Masters in Astronomy. I am now the Director
of the Phillips Exeter Academy Grainger Observatory, a three domes facility with both manual
and robotic telescopes. I teach three courses in astronomy at the Academy
and enjoy living in Exeter, NH. I purchased a house in 1997 in Northwood, NH
where I built Northwood Ridge Observatory under the dark skies of south
central New Hampshire. The facility is robotic as well, and allows me to
collect data every clear night.
My interest in variable stars came about after a childhood of loving amateur
astronomy (it all began with a 2" Tasco telescope!). My first observations
were of V BOO and U HER when the date was May 27, 1986. From that point
onward I was hooked. I have since gone from visual observing to VBRI CCD
work using automation and lots of home-made software. While I still observe
LPVs, I really enjoy the quirkiness of cataclysmic variables and any star
that needs more data. I enjoy working on long term data collection projects
and especially enjoy getting my students to share my fascination of variable
stars.
For those in the area, I welcome visitors to my observatory on Friday night
open houses. Please feel free to contact me by email or through my website.
Those needing mentoring may also contact me at any time. I am all too happy
to help out others to get started in this fascinating and rewarding field.
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