Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Viewing Outer Space

Many of you know my husband Wayne writes. He has eleven Coastal BC Stories about our off the grid float cabin home and  adventures in the Powell River region, but his true love is outer space and writing science fiction.

Wayne has always been a bit nerdy. (I say that in the kindest way.  Look at the popularity of  The Big Bang Theory about physicists, an astrophysicist, and a mechanical engineer to name a few.) His undergraduate degree is in physics, with systems management for a masters. He interned at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, but opted for a career in military aircraft maintenance and aeronautical education.

Portable Astroscan Telescope
Along the way, he's always maintained an interest in outer space. Telescopes large and small have been a way of life from his teens to the present. We even have one on permanent "display" in our float cabin kitchen, ready to deploy for nighttime or solar viewing.

Kitchen telescope storage.
Wayne's an avid reader. Most writers are. Monthly subscriptions of Sky and Telescope (U.S.)  and SkyNews (Canada) are devoured cover to cover. It's no wonder that the study of space would lead to imagining other possible worlds, universes, or entities. Wayne's science fiction reading (and writing) is in the hard science fiction category. Some of his favourite authors include Elizabeth Moon, Gregory Benford, and Robert J. Sawyer.

Telescopes set up on Texada Island, BC.
If you would like to read more about Wayne's alter ego, check out his science fiction website by clicking here, and watch for upcoming free e-book promotions to get a taste of his outer space hard science fiction offerings. -- Margy

5 comments:

  1. Interesting hobby! Like the photos. I used to like to visit the observatory when I was younger.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your husband has a fascinating hobby. The universe and space have always interested me. I got my first sf book when I was 12 years old. It was a Dutch translation of Jules Verne's " Travelling to the Moon".
    Thanks for this interesting post.
    Wil, ABCW Team.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Stephanie - Observatories are fun places to visit. We got to visit one in Los Angeles for an overnight viewing through one of the large, professional scopes. That was the opportunity of a lifetime.

    Wil - It's so much fun to dream of what might be. Wayne is good about giving me nighttime tours of the sky so I can get in on the fun.

    Margy

    ReplyDelete
  5. an OUTSTANDING way to live.

    ReplyDelete

We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy