August 10, 2008 #024 - Leslie C. Peltier

I was thumbing through some old Sky & Telescope magazines and found and reread an article on Leslie C. Peltier and his merry-go-round observatory. That started some daydreaming about some of my travels and thoughts of a stop in the small town of Delphos, Ohio. This was his home for 80 years. If you have not heard of him try a web search and you will find a lot on this renowned amateur astronomer. Leslie was a life long comet hunter and made thousands of variable star observations. If you read his biography it is a trip through the last century and a slice of the America that we sometimes forget existed. To some extent it still does in far out rural areas of the country. His book "Starlight Nights" is still available. I am sure if your over 50 it will bring back memories of your childhood.

Clear Sky - Rich