Astronomy as a Passion

 I was given a 3" reflector for Christmas after pleading with my parents.  At the age of 12  I was mesmerized by the way a telescope worked, not necessarily turning it to the sky by how a street sign blocks away was made so large and readable  (If you could read a mirror image) . 

But soon I turned the reflector  toward the moon happened upon a partial lunar eclipse.  I was amazed at the craters with their central peaks on the crater floor. and the towing  mountains.  There was much to discover on the moon.

Then came high school with all its societal expectations, and sports all kinds.  Sports like football, wrestling, track kept me busy through high school . After high school and partying some for 3 months I enlisted in the Air Force. I arrived at Lackland AFB in September 1969.  The partying stopped with a sudden slam and the awakening into full adulthood was in force.   3  1/2 years latter after getting my DD214 , I enrolled in college and with the aim of a pharmacy degree for which I was ill-prepared.  I dropped out after 2 years and never went back.  My attempt at school was not without some consolation. I took classes in chemistry, physics, .and astronomy.  I was drawn to the sciences but especially to astronomy. 

The imagination needed to conceptualize this scientific reality was truly mind expanding. And the dream of someday being able to discover something in our universe that no one else had seen or knew about was a driving force.  The excitement of astronomy is discovery; either in seeing known objects for the the first time yourself or actually being the the only person on earth to know of an objects existence.   Discovery is addictive!  And it can change your life path.