"Look up at the night sky and see all the wonderful diamonds!"

Introduced to the wonders of the night sky by a neighbor, a 10-year-old Ole-Jonny Kinn decided right then and there: "I will do this for the rest of my life."

Recalling his excitement nearly 40 years later, Kinn said, his neighbor showed him "the rugged surface of (lunar mountain) Mons Wolff then Jupiter and Saturn, and a couple of deep-sky objects like M45, M31 and M104. Wow, what a night! I couldn't sleep until early morning!"

M45 by Jonny Kinn

Today, the 49-year-old Norwegian freelance writer is still fascinated by the stars, and these days may be best known as "Stargazer Jonny" on Internet amateur astronomy forums.

Kinn lives in Romsås, about an hour's drive northeast of Oslo with his wife Ingrid (43) and two sons Eirik (13) and Mathias (11).

His early observing history is filled with many milestone moments such as the first time he saw the complete structure of Orion's Nebula (also known as M42/NGC 1976). "At that time, I only had a small scope and every clear night I had tried to pick up some structures in the nebula, but it was hard." One night he had an opportunity to look at it hrough a 14-inch reflector. "I could see it all, the real structure!" Accomplishments that only an enthusiastic amateur astronomer could appreciate.

"I heard a strange sound in the sky."

But Kinn also recalled an event that occured one cold winter night in that would thrill both astronomers and non-astronomers alike. Kinn was in the yard outside his home checking out a meteor shower around the time that the Comet Hale-Bopp appeared in the sky.

"Suddenly, I heard a strange sound in the sky." He looked up to see "a huge ball of fire with a tail of smoke" shoot overhead."It was amazing, I can tell you," Kinn said. But as these things go, he added: "I didn't have my camera so I don't have any pictures of it.

Shoemaker/Levy comet crashing into Jupiter. Photo courtesy of Calar Alto, Observatory, Spain

NGC 1055 by Jonny Kinn

Shoemaker-Levy 9 inspires photography

Kinn's interest in astro-photography was ignited following the spectacular crash of the Shoemaker-Levy comet into Jupiter in July 1994 and he became determined to preserve his astronomy memories in a more concrete way. "I could tell you about hundreds of [other] wonderful moments," he added, "but it would take the rest of the year!" Amazing things, he said "can happen in a moment". Technological achievements, he said, have led to a better experience for all amateur astronomers, making the viewing and photographing the universe much easier, more precise and more financially accessible than ever before.

"Always a thrill to see something new."

Kinn explained that he was drawn to deep-space photography because "you have the opportunity to look at objects you never can see in the eyepiece. It's always a thrill to see something new and with astrophotography, you can always look back and remember."

He said the task of finding a deep-space object and then processing it with programs like Photoshop and Registax give him an added challenge. For Kinn, observing and photographing nebulas provide the most enjoyment "because there are so many structures to work with in those kinds of photos." His favorite photo is NGC 1055, a dusty spiral galaxy viewed edgewise in the constellation of Cetus is estimated to be 43 million light years away. (See above.)

Kinn attributes a lot of his recent satisfaction from astrophotography to his new Meade DSI PRO."I had been looking for a bit better camera than my DSI color camera. The DSI PRO II has bigger sensor and less noise and you can control the temperature of the camera.

"Still, said Kinn - if he could improve his new camera, he'd give it a bigger sensor and make improvements to cool down the camera even more".

While Kinn's home town doesn't have an official astronomy club and there aren't many star parties in Norway, he is not without observing company. "I have a bunch of good friends and sometimes we get together like a small star party. When the sky is really black and I have good friends with me in the field, what more do you need?", The largest astronomy club in Norway is Norsk Astronomisk Selskap (NAS) /Norwegian Astronomical Society where Kinn says he goes "to catch up on the latest news or sell equipment in the marketplace."

His best tip for those starting out in astrophotography? Read books and listen to amateurs who have experience in the field.

If you are a newbie, explained Kinn, "you need that kind of expertise. This field is big and listening to some experience will help you to avoid the same mistakes" others have made.

Newbie trauma

Like many amateurs, Kinn's adventures in astronomy have not been without its embarrassing moments. Kinn's occurred in 1988 when, as a fledgling astronomer, he dropped his brand new 6-inch Newtonian over a rocky ledge onto solid rock while on solo observing trip in the hilly area known as Lillomarka outside Romsås.

"I really don't remember how it happened, but I was a little too close" to the edge, "Kinn explained. Before he knew it, his telescope had plummeted about 5 meters to the rock below. "Thank god I was by myself," he recalled with embarrassment. "I felt terrible...hopeless!"

While he did recover his scope, Kinn said, "the tube was useless." But ever the thrifty amateur, he turned the disaster into his first telescope project, creating a truss tube out of it. (See left.) It took him a couple years to admit to his fellow astronomers what had happened, he said, and "they had a good laugh."

• http://andysshotglass.com
• http://astrotips.com

Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes: A Manual for Optical Evaluation and Adjustment by Harold Richard Suiter

"It's one book I recommend to anyone who owns a scope." [Editor's note: Some reviews do not recommend this book for beginners.]

• 10-inch Schmidt Newtonian
• 6-inch Maksutov
• 6-inch short focus refractor
• 8-inch Newtonian
• 80mm SenithStar
• 90mm Maksutov

• Nikon D70
• DSI color
• DSI PRO II monochrome, LPI camera
• Stellacam EX for video astronomy

Mounts

Eyepieces

• Population: 4.6 million
• 59°56'N, 10°41'E
• Area: 148,746 sq mi
• Density: 31/sq. mi.
• Largest city: Oslo

• Government: Constructional monarchy
• Currency: Norwegian Krone

• SkyWatcher EQ6 SkyScan
• Meade LXD75

• 2mm to 40 in different categories (narrow to wide field) mostly Meade.