About Me
This blog is written by Steve Owens, Science Operations Manager at Glasgow Science Centre, astronomer, science communicator, and author of Stargazing for Dummies.
I ran the planetarium at Glasgow Science Centre 2005-2008 and 2015-2017, and was the UK Manager for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 in the UK for two years, during which time I helped establish the UK’s first International Dark Sky Park in Galloway, Scotland, and sat on the Dark Sky Discovery steering group. I have since then helped five other sites in the UK become International Dark Sky Places.
I was presented with the Federation of Astronomical Societies 2010 award for Outstanding Achievement in Astronomy, and the Campaign for Dark Skies 2010 award for Efforts in Dark Sky Preservation. I was also short-listed for the UK Space Conference’s 2010 Arthur Clarke award. I was a 2011 Winston Churchill Travelling Fellow.
Leave a Reply
Buy my new book
Dark Sky Diary 
Hi, just found your site. A lot of this material reminds me of my old friend Fred Schaaf, who I haven’t heard from for thirty years, whom I met by mail after reading his book Wonders of the Sky, and was on his Dark Skies for Comet Halley newsletter. Is he around somewhere? Great to meet you!
Hi Steve,
I’m Gary Citro, the guy whose scope you peered through for an hour or so on the Deck of the B & B near Cherry Springs. It was wonderful to see you again after meeting you at the IDA Conference. Good luck with the rest of your journey.
Hey Gary, it was great to meet you too! We’re in darkest New Mexico now, heading for Arizona tomorrow.
Hello Steve, happy new year! does you blog has a facebook link so that we can receive update about your new posts directly on our wall? Please share. I love your site. Thank you for such great work you are doing, Sudip.
Hey Steve,
Love the site! I am dying to go to a night sky park in the USA – do you have any recommendations? Im looking for something not too painful to get to. I was thinking about Clayton Lake.
Hi James, where do you live? That would determine where I’d recommend you go.
Greetings from Cherry Springs, Steve..hope all is well with you and your family. Chip sends his regards. We have been enjoying an early warm spring here this year which means early visitors to the park – excellent!. I wanted to pass this link along to you. This is a time-lapse video made by a young lady, Caroline Weathers, who visited the park with her dad this winter. She is fifteen years old.
Please say hello to your wife and son from us!
Maxine
Hi Steve
I have a website on astronomy like yourself and I have released a beginners guide to amateur astronomy on the site. It’s completely free and without any sign-ups or opt-ins. I hope the guide would be of benefit to your audience. It covers all aspects from starting out with binoculars, to setting up and choosing your first telescope. It then covers what to look for in the night sky, how to develop your hobby when the clouds roll in.
Please take a look if you have a moment and if you think its any good I would really appreciate it if you could share it with your community. Oh and please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you in the future as I have a social media following of over 7,000 now.
You can find the guide at:
http://www.learnastronomyhq.com/beginners-guide-to-astronomy.html
Hope to hear from you soon
Kind regards
Jon
Webmaster for http://www.learnastronomyhq.com/
Love the site. Am very much a beginner but just watching a night sky with all those stars is such enjoy pastime. Loved the show at science centre glasgow. Would love to have copy of (the BSL )of your presentation. Just go to show deaf not stupid.
Steve try New Zealand for dark skies. I’ve been over to picton, if Wellington now,and they had amazing skies when not cloudy.I was only armed with my 8×25 Opticron monocular but had great views of the Carina region. Off to the carter observatory to look through the 12.5″ telescope which was built in York or Dublin, reports vary,in 1868 and still used!
Is this part of the official “for dummies” series? I heard that if not, they won’t like it because of trademark stuff. Just letting you know :) great blog
Yes! It’s an official For Dummies book. Thanks for checking :-)
Hi Steve,
I just want to congratulate you for the book “Stargazing for Dummies” that I recently purchased from Amazon. It’s definitely my best book on the subject, easy to read and full of useful information. In other words there is everything I need, as a novice. It, along with my 10×50 binoculars, stargazing is so fascinating.
Is there going to be a second edition of your book? If so, I’ll make sure to get a copy!
Kind regards, Giorgio (from Italy)