Industry professionals: Where do you Celestron?

Back in April, we launched the “Where Do You Celestron?” campaign, asking our customers to tell us where and how they use Celestron products. We received a huge, global response; so far, you’ve added over 500 stories to our “Where Do You Celestron?” map!

Among those who shared their stories were six industry professionals who use Celestron telescopes, microscopes, and sport optics in their careers. These industry insiders come from across the United States and from a variety of different professional fields. Our team sat down with each of them to record their Celestron stories. Back in June, Celestron held its first symposium, Perspective On Imaging. At the event, we caught up with renowned astroimager and filmmaker John Davis. He shared tales of imaging under the dark skies of Texas at the observatory he built, called BuckSnort. Although he’s only been imaging for about five years, John has decades of experience in the arts – he’s the creator of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. John gave us insight into how his film career has helped him quickly make his mark on the world of imaging.

Also in June, we welcomed David J. Eicher, editor of Astronomy, to Celestron HQ for a behind the scenes tour. While he was here, we interviewed him about his early days as a teenager in Wisconsin, observing with his classic Celestron 8. At the time, he said, astronomy books claimed that certain deep-sky objects, like the Veil Nebula, could not be seen with consumer telescopes – and yet, one chilly evening, he viewed the Veil Nebula with his C8! It was a time of growth for the hobby. He hopes that spirit of passion and discovery will be reinvigorated by Comet ISON, due later this year.

Next, we packed up our camera and took a long drive from our headquarters to Blythe, California, a small town on the Arizona state line, where we met with field ornithologist Tim Schreckengost. Tim was just wrapping up a two-month stint in Blythe to survey bird populations along the Colorado River. With temperatures around 110 degrees, Tim took us out to his backyard to observe hummingbirds with Celestron TrailSeeker binoculars. Then, we took a short walk down to the river and found many rare birds seeking refuge from the heat. Tim’s favorite instrument for capturing bird behavior is his Regal M2 spotting scope, with his iPhone 4S attached to record images and video. We got some great footage and headed home, but not before nearly running out of gas in the middle of Death Valley!

After that harrowing experience, Team Celestron hopped a plane to our next destination – beautiful Lake Tahoe. There, we were greeted by Tony and Ryan Berendsen, the father-and-son team who run Tahoe Star Tours. Against a backdrop of pine trees, Tony explained the unique tourist attraction he runs for guests of the Northstar Resort and the Ritz-Carlton. While Tony introduces rookie stargazers to the night sky, Ryan mans three or four Celestron telescopes simultaneously. There’s plenty to look at under those dark skies – we got a great view of the Cigar Nebula and the sweeping Milky Way.

Back in Southern California, we tracked down Mike Simmons, founder and president of Astronomers Without Borders. It was no easy task, since Mike frequently travels to such far-flung destinations as Nepal and Tanzania! He shared how the hobby of amateur astronomy is burgeoning in the developing world thanks to organizations like his. We’re excited that the Astronomers Without Borders telescope we’re sourcing to support Mike’s efforts will be releasing soon!

And finally, we welcomed an unusual and super-cool visitor to Celestron. Forensic specialist Anna Cox uses a Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope to analyze bloodstain evidence at crime scenes. She brought her blood spatter maker, along with some real stained clothing and sheets to show us how the microscope reveals clues hidden deep within the fibers of the fabric. Hearing her speak was better than any episode of CSI we’ve seen.

After hearing so many fascinating stories, we hope you’re inspired to share with us where you use Celestron products. Submit your stories, and you could even win free Celestron products or a subscription to Astronomy magazine! Learn more at www.wheredoyoucelestron.com.