I am a retired senior citizen, currently residing in north Florida. When I was young, I was fascinated by astronomy and bought a small Newtonian reflector. That’s how I learned about optics. Once my career began, I lost all of my spare time and didn’t have much opportunity for hobbies for many decades, which was really too bad.

Fast forward. Some people say retirement is boring. But I find that retirement is an opportunity to pursue hobbies I missed out on during my working years. So I have a couple of telescopes now. My problem is street lights and light pollution, not to mention overcast Florida skies. Getting to a dark sky on clear nights is a real problem, but I try to make the best of it.

But I am still quite fascinated by the observable universe. Have always been interested in planets and DSOs. After having been involved in organizational management and politics during my career, I find it interesting to observe how the federal government manages NASA and negotiates with private aerospace vendors. I personally believe planetary defense needs to become a larger federal priority, while searches for extraterrestrial life need to be rethought.

I am considering relocation to North Ft. Myers. Does anyone know about astronomy clubs down in that area of SW Florida?