My name is Carsten and I have been interested in Astronomy since primary school, but only by some books and binoculars.
My interest increased drastically due to a friend, who introduced this subject in school for a topical week (Projektwoche) and also due to comets appearing in our skies (Huyakutake and Hale Bopp). Adding that we had Auroras showing over Germany twice in the 90’s, my excitement over Astronomy was unbreakable!
I bought my first real telescope – a 4″ Newton from a traditional German warehouse “Quelle” – in the late 80’s, I think. Now I own a RC-8 Reflector and a ED80 Apo-Refractor, as well as a EOS550D to take photos.
At EUMETSAT, a group of a few (including me) founded the Astronomy Club and we have been quite active ever since. I took over the chair in 2019, shortly before the pandemic, which was a bit of a pity, considering that so many activities I wanted to initiate were set on ice due to restrictions imposed.
More to come!