I got into backyard astronomy about 20 years ago and took a small telescope to Jamaica with me. I used to stay at Secret Paradise on the far west end. There were very dark skies there so it was perfect for star gazing. I got up in the middle of the night and set up my scope on the pool deck. It didn't take long for Tony (Buju) Banton to saunter over to see whatt I was up to. Once he understood what I was up to he went and killed the lights in the immediate vicinity of the pool. We had a great time over the next several nights exploring the planets, Milky Way, various clustes and nebulae, Andromeda Galaxy and just barely, the Virgo cluster of galaxies. There is something awe inspiring about looking at star light that had been traveling for up to millions of years before hitting your eyes. Before homo sapiens walk our planet. What had transpired in that galaxy in the intervening years? Were there backyard astronomers looking at the Milky Way?
I left my binoculars and Peterson Field Guide to the Stars and Planets with Tony as a gift. The next year, he was eagerly ready to get back on the scope. He told my wife that he had been studying the field guide every night for the past year. Tony had become a better informed backyard astronomer that I was!
