Matt has been looking up since he witnessed a Total Solar Eclipse in
Melbourne with his grandfather when he was six years of age on 23 October 1976.
The first launch of the space shuttle, Columbia 1981, captured the
imagination of an 11-year-old boy who was witnessing the greatest achievement
in human space exploration since the Apollo missions. The Challenger explosion
in 1986 was devastating but only solidified his believe in the need for humans
in space.
The much anticipated return of Halley’s Comet in 1986 was another
significant event that peaked his interest. The Hubble Space Telescope has been
a constant source of pleasure since it’s launch in 1990 along with all the
robotic tours of our Solar System that are easily followed on the internet.
Surprisingly his first real telescope was a gift from his wife Katie
in 1998 and his fascination with the night sky really began. Witnessing the
equatorial bands and satellite transits on Jupiter through a 4” scope felt like
real discoveries. The rings of Saturn were priceless. The night sky was closer
to him than ever before.
Matt’s telescope arsenal began to grow and in 2007 he purchase a
Solarmax 40 to explore the Sun. Imaging followed and currently he uses an
Imaging Source DMK31 camera to capture the always changing Hydrogen Alpha face
of the Sun. Matt likes to document his observing sessions and share his
experiences with anyone who wants to listen.
Wastell
