Bracko's Journey

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In early September 1966, Star Trek was beamed into space for the first time. I was born a few weeks later, and after just a few years on the planet I was a huge fan, boldly exploring new worlds and seeking out strange new life forms as a kindergartner in the school yard.

Sometime in my early childhood, my grandfather brought me on my first visit to the public library, where I had my first encounter with an astronomy book. It was on this day that I first began to grasp the wondrous realities of outer space - realizing that our Sun was a star, and that consequently other stars likely had planets orbiting them too, perhaps populated by curious beings like us. I recreated this memory using an old image of my grandfather.

  • As the 1970s came to a close, my interest in astronomy exploded. I was completely captivated by the Viking mission to Mars and glued to the TV for Carl Sagan's Cosmos. At 14, I decided I wanted in on the action. I reached out to Sagan, and got involved with The Planetary Society - a newly formed advocacy group promoting the benefits of planetary exploration for society.  

  • Serving as Regional Volunteer Coordinator for the society in Ireland until 1997, I spent more than a decade doing educational outreach activities to support the society's efforts in championing the exploration of the solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life.

    Below are some vintage photos of a younger version of me hosting a presentation about the outer solar system.

Astronomy Friends

During that same period, I made some lifelong friendships with fellow astronomy enthusiasts. A few of us helped organize interest groups and activities for young people who shared our passion for science and astronomy. Many of us in this hobby have made our best friends under the stars!

Some of these folks ended up pursuing careers in science and astronomy, so there's lots to discuss when we meet up for beers. We still have the same curiosity and the same drive to share our love of science and the joy of scientific discovery with our friends and communities.


Through the eighties and nineties, I served on the organizing committees of the Junior Astronomical Society of Ireland, the Irish Astronomical Society, and the Irish Association of Youth Science Groups. In recent years, I've had the privilege of reconnecting with members of these groups, some of whom like me, are now revisiting their amateur astronomy interests as they approach their retirement years.


  • Our group of young Irish astronomers. I'm seated in the front, second from the left (with my legs stretched out). 


    Click on the image for a close-up view.

     

  • In 1983, Niall Smith and I were chosen to represent Ireland at the International Astronomical Youth Camp at Schullandheim - a 17th-century castle in Obersteinbach, Germany. I remember walking along a rural pathway to Lerchenhöchstadt, where I had an memorable slice of Black Forest cake! We are seated on the lowest step on the leftmost side of the picture - behind the guy with the legs!

     

  • Catching up with an old friend on a recent trip back to Ireland. Kevin is a physics lecturer and is busy devising new techniques to process data from space telescopes.

  • Catching up with Louis Friedman, who founded The Planetary Society with Carl Sagan and Bruce Murray in 1980. This photo was taken at the society's 45th anniversary celebration dinner.

Throughout most of my journey, I would have been regarded as an "armchair astronomer" - someone with book knowledge of astronomy, but no real practical experience in observation or photography.

All of the changed in 2020, when I decided it was time to step things up. Click below for the next chapter of the story.

Building the Dome