TIM PUCKETT - Principal Investigator

Tim Puckett started construction of his 60 cm. telescope in 1988 originally to find supernovae. This telescope was completed in 1997. On June 5, 1999, Puckett decided to start a dedicated search for supernovae and has enlisted a team of part time volunteers to help scan his images.

Puckett's work has been featured on air at: ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, BBC, Good Morning America, Discovery and the Learning Channel. His work has been published in books and magazines in 20+ countries. A 25+ year veteran in the field, Puckett has operated and tested numerous telescopes and CCD cameras since 1978. He is currently consulting for the U.S. Space Command and other professional institutions.

 

 

Alex Langoussis - Co-Investigator

Alex Langoussis has been looking at the stars since he was 10 years old. A native of Rockford, Illinois, he now lives near Atlanta, where for 20 years he was an observatory assistant at Fernbank Observatory. He currently teaches astronomy at both Kennesaw State University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Fulton County Center for Lifelong Learning. Alex splits his "star time" between supernova hunting and deep sky observing, exploring the night skies with a 24-inch Starmaster telescope. He has been a member of the supernova search team since 1998.

 

 

 

Jack Newton - Co-Investigator

Jack Newton is a recently-retired Marks & Spencer store manager. Jack is an internationally recognized amateur astronomer and astro-imager. He has helped pioneer the field of amateur CCD photography, especially the development of high resolution tri-color imaging. Jack's photographs are well-known to readers of Astronomy, Sky &Telescope, and CCD Astronomy magazines. He is also a frequent contributor to other magazines and newspapers around the globe.

 

 

Brian Kerns - Co-Investigator

Brian Kerns is a programmer and designer specializing in the ergonomic interface to spatial data. Kerns' interest in astronomy started with a 4.5" Newtonian telescope and a major telescope manufacturer as a client. "One referral led to another and before too long, I had a handful of commercial astronomy related web sites going, Meade, Kendrick, Hands On Optics, and a bunch of others, and they are all great people to work with." says Kerns. Kerns is currently residing in North Dakota, "That's the great thing about the Internet, you can work from
anywhere and with just about anyone, the Supernova Search Team is a natural for me."

 

 

Ingrid Siegert - Co-Investigator

Ingrid Siegert is a professional musician in Atlanta, Georgia, and has been an amateur astronomer since the age of 8.

She has been part of the supernova search team since 1998, and is married to Tim Puckett.

 

 

Doug George - Co-Investigator

Doug George is President of Diffraction Limited and the lead author of MaxIm DL and MaxIm DL/CCD astronomical imaging software. He was also heavily involved in creating the Desktop Universe software. Doug is a Professional Engineer with 20 years of experience ranging from digital signal processing to electromagnetic sensor design. In addition to hunting for supernovae, Doug co-discovered Comet Skorichenko-George in December, 1989.

 

 

 

Ajai Sehgal - Co-Investigator

Ajai Sehgal has been involved with astronomy for 35 years. An expert in software development and digital imagery analysis, he is the author of Hidden Image and the Maximum Entropy Deconvolution algorithm in MaxIm DL.  Ajai has contributed his 60cm Ritchey-Chrétien and 50cm folded Newtonian telescope as well as custom software to the POSS. He is a life member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and currently resides in Woodinville, WA and Osoyoos B.C. where one of the search’s two 50cm telescopes is based.

 

 

Lou Cox - Co-Investigator

A retired nuclear reactor operator, Lou is a life member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Ottawa Center. He is also a member of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, AAVSO, IAPPP and the Deep River Astronomy Club. Lou operates a computer controlled C-14 dedicated solely to Photoelectric Photometery of Variable Stars. He resides in Deep River, Ontario.

 

 

\Debra Ceravolo - Co-Investigator

Debra Ceravolo has been interested in astronomy since the age of five after experiencing her first total solar eclipse. Debra enjoys teaching children all about astronomy, organizing public displays, workshops, and local star parties. She is currently the President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Ottawa Centre.

 

 

Mike O'Connor - Co-Investigator

Mike O’Connor is an amateur astronomer from Orchard Park, New York. His interest in astronomy is rooted in the Apollo moon missions which he would run home from school to watch as a young boy. His astronomical interests are diverse and include high resolution CCD and DSLR astrophotography, video astronomy, occultation timing and GRB imaging. Mike is a member of the Buffalo Astronomical Association and the AAVSO High Energy Network. He was a member of the development team for Versions 2 and 3 of Registax, software for the alignment, stacking and processing of astronomical video images. When not exploring the night sky, or practicing law, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and twin 6 year old boys, playing hockey and racing sailboats.

 

 

ANDREA PELLONI - Co-Investigator

 

Andrea Pelloni is a just retired 61 years old Airline manager, from Rome, Italy. Involved in Astronomy from his 6th birthday, he was particularly interested on NEO, so he has been member of the SpaceGuard RHP NEO Precovery Team, obtaining precoveries of 40 NEO. From the beginning of 2005 he is member of the FMO SpaceWatch Team, without discoveries in his bag. But in the future... He has been member and Vice President of the Roman Amateur Astronomers Association (A.R.A.) steering committee, and he prepares computer-assisted didactic, writing the software for astronomy shows for the schools.

 

 

 

Jennifer Tigner - Co-Investigator

Jennifer Tigner is a student who is very interested in astronomy. She currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia, and is a long-time junior member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Ottawa Centre. She volunteers with public activities with the RASC, and has volunteered with the Canada Science and Technology Museum. Jenn has earned her Messier Certificate, and is very successful in astrophotography, being published various times including in SkyNews Magazine.

 

 

 

R. SCOTT IRELAND - Co-Investigator

R. Scott Ireland has lived in South Florida since the age of six, where he has pursued lifelong interests in astronomy, nature photography (including astrophotography and underwater photography) and chess. He is a past-president and honorary life member of the Southern Cross Astronomical Society. In recent years, Scott has been actively studying and photographing volcanoes. His photographs have appeared in many books and periodicals in the US and Europe, and he participated in making a volcano film for National Geographic Television. Scott is currently writing a book on astronomical image processing.

 

 

ROBERT GAGLIANO - Co-Investigator

Robert Gagliano, M.D. is a cancer specialist and avid amateur astronomer who lives in Cottonwood, Arizona. Robert's interest in astronomy began at age 9 with a childhood fascination for UFOs, planet Mars, and the constellations. He is a member of the AstroVerde Astronomy Club and enjoys SOHO comet hunting. Robert is a member reviewer for the SpaceWatch FMO Project.

 

 

TOM ORFF - Co-Investigator

Tom is currently the Technology Coordinator for Schuylkill Haven Area School District in addition to his position as Principal Tuba with the Schuylkill Symphony Orchestra. He is interested in Astrophotography and CCD Imaging and holds the office of Secretary with the Greater Hazleton Area Astronomical Society in North Eastern PA. Tom's interest in astronomy dates back to his early childhood years, although his passion for the stars was ignited when Comet Hale-Bopp visited in 1996.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIKE PEOPLES - Co-Investigator

 

 

EriC BRIGGS - Co-Investigator

Eric Briggs is an active member of the Toronto Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, and a full-time employee at Khan Scope Centre. He has actively pursued CCD imaging since participating in the CUREA summer program at Mount Wilson Observatory in 2002.

 

 

Anthony Kroes - Co-Investigator

Anthony has had a lifelong interest in astronomy, and it has been a serious hobby for him since 1995 when he got his first 'real' telescope, an 8" SCT. Imaging soon followed - a short stint with film, then on to CCD cameras in 1997. He enjoys the dark skies of the rural farmland outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin where he currently uses a 12" Meade and SBIG CCD camera from his roll-off roof observatory. A database programmer by day, at night Anthony monitors cataclysmic variable stars for the Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA). He enjoys doing real science as well as taking a few 'pretty pictures' now and then. He and his wife, Tara, are also the editors of Green Bay's Neville Public Museum Astronomical Society newsletter.

 

 

PETER CERAVOLO - Co-Investigator

Peter (the upside down one) is a professional optician and optical designer in from Ottawa Canada. Peter has had a life long interest in astronomy and has been active in the amateur astronomical community for 30 years. Peter makes and designs optics for the scientific and industrial comunities, he made the optics for MOST micro-satellite, Canada's first space telescope. In addition to astronomy, Peter and his wife Debra, a fellow pilot share a passion for aviation and take to the sky in their small airplane. Supernova hunting is a family affair with Debra and Debra's daughter Jenn Tigner being actively involved

 

TOM CROWLEY - Co-Investigator

 

 

 

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