Owner and Director: Phil Mattingly

I have had an interest in astronomy since about the fifth grade. My first telescope, which I still have, is a 4 inch brass navy spotting scope that I had acquired soon after the Second World War as surplus. My primary interest now is photometry of chromospherically active stars. The observatory is the product of necessity, a tool if you will, with which to study astronomy. I have co-authored a number of photometric project papers. My primary interest is chromospherically active stars. I have also attended several photometry summer schools at Dyer Observatory hosted by my photometry guru Douglas S. Hall , and a member of the IAPPP. Nightwatch Associate Members:

Associate Bud Bafia

Bud primarily operates the 14 inch Celestron telescope housed in observatory B. Bud's vocation of choice is building, servicing, and networking computers, which is an additional and valuable asset to the observatory. Bud is interested in general imaging.

Associate Tom McMahon

Tom operates observatory C with his 8 inch Celestron. Primary projects of interest consist of object imaging and supernova events. Tom also has an interest in binary stars.

Associate Harold Nations

Harold earned his PhD in astronomy, and is a career teacher. Harold's specialty is spectroscopy, and solar phenomena.