Miscellaneous
Talking of oneself is an especially challenging task, particularly when one aims to avoid using the first person singular!
So, dear reader, please accept my humble apologies for all the “I’s” you may encounter in the following text, they are only an indication of my writing skills, rather than one of my state of mind.
1945 – 1965
I’m French, but first and foremost, Provençal. Born in Marseille, over 60 years ago (already!), I received all my education, primary, secondary and university here. My schooling gave me a good level of general knowledge as well as a degree in civil engineering, a specialization in reinforced concrete and a master’s degree in physics. In those days, in the 60’s, 6 higher education certificates were necessary for a master’s degree and I had selected one in optics; premonition, maybe?
I don’t know, but I used to “borrow” topographical measurement instruments from my engineering school, mainly a theodolite, which is a sort of aiming glass, 30×20, set up on top of a spirit level, which gave me an emotional shock I remember as clearly as if it happened yesterday, when I discovered in the same evening the moon craters, Mizar, the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) and Saturn’s rings. This is quite a lot for one night, no?
While I was studying, I was also pursuing an athletic career, as a swimmer and had the honor of representing my country two dozen times, with the French water polo team, first in junior, then in senior league. I still swim seriously, but my achievements are a little different nowadays!
During my student years, I discovered astronomy with the best amateur instruments available in the 60’s, i.e a Perl JPM, 60/700, and the nec plus ultra, an Admiral T114/900 telescope! Those were the days of the “ Constellation Review”, the Société Astronomique de France (French Astronomic Society), just about the only book accessible to amateurs at the time which generated my life-long fascination for double stars, very convenient observation targets for a 60mm.
1965 – 1995
My professional obligations put a damper on my astronomical pursuits, but I kept my connection with the sky thanks to magazines. I also travelled frequently to beautiful, faraway places, all the time attempting to lower my gold handicap, which unfortunately stagnated at 12.
1995 – today
Much, much later, in the 90’s, my granddaughter asked me out of the blue: “Papy, what’s this star called?”
Actually, it was Sirius, not that it is very relevant here as, a few weeks later with the ease one has at that age, she had committed to memory all the constellations …… and I, for some strange reason, had caught the astronomy bug again. The god of astronomy had been particularly heavy handed this time and my whole brain had been contaminated. Actually, I suspect Yann Pothier, the founding member of the magazine “Ciel Extrême” (Extreme Sky), of being behind the whole stratagem. I have been honoured to call him a friend for the past 10 years, and I am greatly indebted to him as to other “Ciel Extrêmistes”
In 1998, at the end of my career, my T114 was replaced with a Meade LX200 / 254 mm, doubled with an Apo William Optics 80/550, glass, and, at long last in 2007, I became the proud owner of a Dobson Obsession 635mm.
Most of my observations at Chabottes Basse Plaine between 1998 and 2006 were made with the LX200, since 2007 I’ve been using the T635 at the Petit Telle.
As far as double stars go, I have observed over 2,000 couples and emphasized dualities up to 0.22″.
Still, my all time favourite is deep sky observation and sketching. I see myself as a rather eclectic person as I enjoy, tiny little quasars or gravitational lenses of 16 or 17 v of magnitude, as much as Messier’s objects or saturated planetary nebulae.
I find the southern and northern hemispheres equally attractive , although I have a inclination towards the southern: I have made observations from San Pedro de Atacama, from Alain Maury’s home, en 2006, from Sahara Sky Observatory, in the deep south of Morocco in 2007, and I have been a regular guest at Tivoli Lodge, in Namibia since 2004.
Do not believe, dear reader, that I have painted an idyllic picture, I have never really managed to feel real interested for planets, comets, satellites and, shame on me, astronomic photography bores me more than it interests me. I apologize in advance to all the masters of astro-photography who publish masterpieces that I have little or no hope to compete with.