Our Mission

The Southeast Ohio Astronomical Society is an organization in Athens that brings astronomy to the people.

We are a local group of amateur and professional astronomers. Members range in age from high schoolers to senior citizens. The level of knowledge of our members has a similar range - beginners to published professionals.

We hold monthly Open Telescope Nights at various locations throughout the community. The group also provides special telescopes for Safe Solar Viewing 4 times a year. We have special presentations at local libraries and high schools. Group members reach out to hundreds of local school children through classroom presentations during the year. All activities are free and open to the public.

Our History
The Southeast Ohio Astronomical Society was founded in 1999 in Athens, Ohio, by a small group of local citizens concerned about the growing light pollution problem in Athens.

 
Photos

A picture is worth a thousand words. Click through our photo gallery and get to know us. To the Gallery.

Maryann Hartwick became interested in astronomy while living in Stamford, NY, under some very dark skies. She looked up one clear night and saw the Milky Way for the first time. She's been hooked on astronomy ever since!

Maryann enjoys looking through telescopes, and planning the next public event. She can also be found helping folks out with their tax returns, accompanying music students on the piano, playing the French Horn in local community bands, or doing some community work with the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Athens.

Maryann was one of the founding members of the Southeast Ohio Astronomical Society. She is currently the president and webmaster for the group. 

George Eberts

I was born & raised on the west side of Columbus.  I got my first telescope and astronomy books for Christmas around age seven or eight.  With it I observed the moon, Jupiter, and Saturn; without it I remember watching moon phases, the Pleiades, and the Big Dipper’s nightly and seasonal movements from my front yard.  My cousin Tom had the same interest and we shared our observations with each other in letters, and observed together when he visited.  Eventually I obtained 7X50 binoculars, a 60mm Unitron refractor, and a subscription to Sky And Telescope magazine and started tracking down Messier objects, Uranus & Neptune, and asteroids.  I remember Comets Bennet (1970) and Kahoutec (1974) as seen from the countryside near Columbus. 

When I moved to Athens in 1978 I wanted to find other local amateur astronomers and use whatever telescopes might be available through Ohio University so I started up a “Communiversity” Stargazing class.  When I approached the O.U. Department of Physics & Astronomy to use telescopes, they were immediately generous and granted me access to the Fecker 10” refractor and Criterion 12.5” reflector scopes, asking that in return I host “open telescope nights” for students in the daytime physics classes.  That evolved into the Physical Science 140 “Observational Astronomy” class that I still teach today.  I guess I function as the liaison between OU and SEOAS, and my job is to make sure that OU telescopes are available for public outreach via public viewing nights, school visits, etc..   I still love “deep sky” objects the best and have tracked down & observed all Messier objects and hundreds of other nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters.  

Webmaster's Note: George was one of the founding members of the group. He is currently the vice-president. Fun fact: At our 2000 Messier Marathon, George competed head-to-head against a 'goto' telescope and won.

Tom O'Grady 

I went on a four month camping trip in Europe and North Africa with George Eberts in the early 1970’s. Bit by bit more of the night sky was revealed by George.  A long, cold, and exceptionally clear, autumn evening in a pasture field just outside of Zermatt, Switzerland got my undivided attention. The best and brightest stars from a high mountain pasture seemed as though they could be scooped up by the handful. Two nights later George and I found ourselves walking down out of the Alps through the Simplon Pass toward the Italian border. We walked all night. The sky was clear as a bell. With George as my tour guide to the constellations on this long night walk I became familiar with the autumn, winter and most of the spring sky by dawn. A few weeks later we were in Morocco, headed for Marrakesh. Each afternoon we found ourselves seeking out a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread and a high point to observe the sunset. That autumn Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn were all visible in the fading twilight. Each evening we watched and tried to find the planets earlier than the evening before. Eventually we were spotting Venus in a blue sky while the sun was still above the horizon. After a few days repeating that feat we finally spotted Jupiter before sunset. Since then there has been no looking back. Only looking up. Later that year we saw Comet Kohoutek through George’s small telescope.

This early introduction has led George and I on a number of expeditions, most especially in pursuit of the Moon’s shadow. We observed our first total eclipse of the sun in Columbia, South America in 1977. That inspired a February mission in 1979 to the middle of Manitoba, Canada for another. Two nights of aurorae spiced up that excursion. We have since journeyed to Assateaque Island on the east coast, the west coast of Mexico, the shores of Lake Erie, a peninsula reaching up into the Carribean Sea from the north coast of Venezuela, and to the Egypt-Libyan border for the purpose of basking in the Moon’s umbral shadow. A side venture in 1986 took us to the Florida Keys for a dark sky look at Comet Halley. It has been nothing but fun and excitement along the way. A half dozen comets, lunar eclipses,  annual star parties in dark places, and the occasional long night standing around the base of a telescope gawking into the depths of space and talking about some of the best things we’ve ever talked about has become a matter of course. It’s all George’s fault.

Kathleen and Wes Covalt

When Wes and Kathleen Covalt relocated to the dark skies of Athens, Ohio, the stars called out their celestial greeting. Learning about heavenly wonders from fellow SEOAS members, Wes & Kathleen enjoy sharing their new found cosmic awareness.

During the day, Wes works from home as a statistician and computer programmer for an international marketing research firm. Also from their home, Kathleen helps her clients explore inner mysteries as a spiritual healer and intuitive counselor.

Together, Wes & Kathleen parent three Miniature Cheviot sheep that teach them much about the ways of the land.

Paul Grim

Growing up in the Anacostia section of Washington D.C., Paul developed a great interest in the patterns of stars in the sky. In those days light pollution was not a major factor and the Milky Way and very faint constellations could be seen. This interest continued through the years but at a slightly lower level. As a retired person, Paul got reacquainted with astronomy in 2003, took courses at OU, and bought several telescopes.

Currently, his biggest interest is being involved in outreach programs, especially to youngsters. Here he uses PowerPoint presentations (mostly images, not words) tp explain astronomy. He is also active in the SEOAS sidewalk astronomy events even though city light pollution allows only the planets, the Moon, and the brightest stars to be seen.

In his spare time (being retired allows lots of spare time) he enjoys watching and feeding birds on his 12 acres in the country. He spends lots of time playing Scrabble with his opponent being a laptop set at a medium intelligence. Strangely, his vocabulary and spelling seem to have deteriorated as a result of this constant war with the computer. 

Phil Armstrong teaches science at Athens High School. He teaches physics and astronomy to 9th graders and chemistry to 11th and 12th graders. Phil has lived here for 20 years, having immigrated from Manchester, England (which explains the cool accent).

When asked how he first became interested in astronomy, Phil says...

Since I can remember I've been interested in science but I remember when I was 10, I swapped a GI Joe for a sawn in half pair of WWII German 8x30 binoculars (so really a monocular). It was through these that I first looked at the Moon and was astounded to actually see craters! That hooked me and I soon got a 60mm refractor for my birthday.

His hobbies include scuba diving, astronomy, Indian cooking, flying tiny RC helicopters and playing guitar.

Webmaster's Note: Sorry about the picture. A photo of Phil in action will be posted soon!

Markus Boettcher is a theoretical and observational astrophysicist at Ohio University. More information on his fields of research can be found on his Ohio University Faculty Profile page.

Markus can be seen at Open Telescope Nights on the College Green, where he is always happy to answer questions and discuss the latest astronomy findings with the folks who stop by our telescopes. 

If not at his desk (or in the classroom, or in committee meetings), you'll find him running with his dog Sheila, playing chess, or taking care of his vegetable garden.