THREE RIVERS AREA — Since childhood, Dr.
Douglas Matthews has studied astronomy. Not only is he a third-generation dentist, but he is also a third-generation amateur astronomer with his own observatory in his backyard.
"We always wanted an observatory," said Matthews, who is serious about his astronomy hobby.
For 20 years, passersby may have wondered who would have an observatory in his backyard.
Matthews and his father, Dr. Mylas Matthews, built the observatory to further their love and hobby of astronomy.
"Some guys have bass boats;
some people have cars. I have an observatory," Matthews said with a grin. "When I was 10, I got my first telescope." Walking up the steep, rickety staircase to the observatory, Matthews explained that he makes his own telescopes in his small garage workshop. Moving backinto his childhood home with his mother after his father's death, Matthews continues to grow the hobby he, his father and his grandfather loved.
The Matthewses added a commercial dome to their observatory that was modeled after one at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The best time to view the galaxies is late at night. During the fall and winter months is best since darkness falls earlier. It isn't uncommon for Matthews to scope out galaxies searching for supernovas until the wee hours of the morning.
The telescopes used in Matthews' observatory are computerdriven. Matthews pointed at a celestial map thumb-tacked to the wall and said he could point the telescope to one point and it would know where everything would be.
Snapping photos of the galaxies and storing them, Matthews hopes one day to see a change. He said over a lifetime, there may be a minimal change.
"At some point in time, somebody is going to inherit this data," Matthews explained.
With one of the few privately owned observatories in the state, Matthews encourages visitors to his backyard; however, a good time to view the stars is unpredictable because of the weather, weight of the air and air movement.
"Kids will see all kinds of stuff that we won't see," Matthews said. "There is a select group of us who get a chance to look at this stuff."
Matthews also teaches occasional astronomy classes at Lyon College and encourages those who are interested to take it up as a hobby.
"It's kind of like golf ... a hobby," Matthews said with a laugh. "There are a lot of facets to this hobby, and it can be a hobby thatis overwhelming."
The key to a successful star hunt, Matthews said, is one should learn to read a star chart.
"Start simple and small; start with a telescope you can move and use," he explained. "Learn how to use a telescope by looking at the moon, then find the planets."
Matthews enjoys the technology side of his hobby as well as making telescopes and looking at the photos of the galaxies.
"It's pretty cool to see stuff like that," Matthews said. "I enjoy all the nebula and galaxies."
Viewing the telescope as a time machine, Matthews sees bodies that are 800 million light years away.
"Telescopes are really time machines," he explained, noting how light years are measurements of distance.
Matthews plans to visit the Southern Hemisphere some day for a different view of the solar system.
Three Rivers, Pages 113, 116 on 08/23/2009