25 Years of Amateur Astronomy Magazine

25 Years of Amateur Astronomy: Beautiful Questions is semi biographical as well as an informative and humorous look at the hobby of amateur astronomy with insights into the obsessive mind of the “naturalist of the night sky”. This talk also addresses the importance of amateur astronomy as it relates to our current “amusement” culture; in particular as a means of stimulating a mindset of inquiry and personal discovery in a cycle of “Beautiful Questions” that transforms our understanding of the natural world that surrounds us and our place in it. 

Charlie Warren is the managing editor of Amateur Astronomy Magazine. He is an active amateur who enjoys visual astronomy with a variety of instruments, particularly large aperture telescopes. He is an avid astrophotographer who has imaged more than 400 deep sky objects and nightscapes, representing over two thousand hours of imaging time. He also enjoys solar astronomy and spectroscopy.

Charlie’s interest in astronomy was initiated when 10 years old. While cruising in the Bahamas and Virgin islands with his family, his father taught him celestial navigation with the use of a sextant, charts and ship’s chronometer. Later while studying at Colgate University he had opportunity to observe through the nearby Cornell University observatory telescope and tag along and interview an astronomer working on refining “redshift” for galaxies in our local group.

A decade later, he invested in his first “real” telescope; a 10” Newtonian on an equatorial mount. His interest ignited to “obsession” following his first star party at a truly remote dark sky site. Astronomical imaging in the late 90’s furthered his obsession. Shortly after moving back to Orlando Florida in 2003, he began frequenting the Chiefland Astronomy Village every new moon weekend. There he befriended resident Tom Clark, the founding editor of Amateur Astronomy Magazine. Charlie began writing articles for the publication, and in the summer of 2007 purchased the magazine when Tom Clark retired. Amateur Astronomy Magazine just published its 108th quarterly issue, which is Charlie’s 51st issue as editor.