Why Should You Listen to Me?

Abstract

I have been a deep-sky observer for over 20 years, almost all ofthat while living in Arizona. I am perfectly clear how fortunate that makes me. The state of Arizona is sprinkled with astronomical observatories of all types. Many observers of the sky move to this part of the country so they can take advantage of the clear desert skies. While in the U.S. Navy I had the opportunity to live in the states of Washington and New York. These are places where the weather and city lights make astronomy difficult and often frustrating. (See Fig. 2.1.)