Whitby Observatory

Hello and welcome to my Astronomy webpage. My name is Steve Smith and my home and primary observing location is in my backyard, located in Castle Pines Colorado (EL 6,500 ft), a suburb just south of the Denver Metro area. Whitby Observatory is simply what I call my modest backyard observatory which I constructed in 2019 and consists of a permanent concrete pier and observing deck to support my computerized mount and telescopes.

I have been a life-long amateur astronomer starting at the age of ten when I received a 4” Reflector telescope as a Christmas present – I have rarely been without a telescope since that time.   During the 1950’s and 60’s my father was a U.S. Naval officer who had a professional interest in the stars as navigational signposts as well as a scientific curiosity in the stars themselves which rubbed off on me over the years. During these formative years the space-race with the Soviet Union was in full swing and all things “space and science” were making front page news.  My boyhood heroes were the “Mercury Seven” astronauts and their pictures along with pictures of  rockets and solar system bodies, cut from the pages of Life Magazine, were taped to my bedroom walls. One of the most memorable moments at this time was when my father and I watched Echo I  (one of the early Balloon satellites) as it passed overhead when we were living at the Presidio in San Francisco.

Oil painting I did at age nine (1961) which shows my deep interest in astronomy and the space program at that time .  Objects from Right-to-left:  The Sun showing prominences and sunspots, sputnik satellite, planetary body?, comet, Jupiter, Saturn, Earth & Moon, Mars, & Uranus (green).  The astronaut on a spacewalk and the Space Shuttle type vehicle were only conjectures at the time.

My primary focus is viewing,  photographing, and researching Double Stars. Many of the photos that are posted on these pages are of these beautiful and interesting bodies.  One however cannot be immune to the other treasures that populate our solar neighborhood and the greater universe at large, so there are samples of many other objects which I have visited and can be accessed through the Drop-Down Menus in the header on each page.

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I also hold an “EXTRA” Class amateur Radio License and operate under the callsign KI0MZ. I typically operate CW (Morse Code) and the FT8 Digital Mode on the 20 meter and 15 meter Amateur Radio Bands. Examples of my QSL Cards are shown below. If you are a licensed Amateur Radio operator I hope to catch you on the air sometime !

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This website is very much a work-in-progress so check back for additions and updates. Feel free to contact me with comments, corrections or suggestions at: ssmith9831@gmail.com