Bob Mizon is UK co-ordinator of the BAA's Campaign for Dark Skies. He has taught astronomy to students of all ages since 1971 and added to this in 1996 by providing a full-time mobile planetarium service to southern England. Using this, he has taken the experience of the night sky to nearly 90,000 people, mostly school-children. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1985, and has held various posts in the Wessex Astronomical Society. He is an active observer, and lectures to societies all over the country. He also writes for the astronomical press, and translates books on astronomy and meteorology from French to English. Bob is author of Light Pollution: Responses and Remedies (Springer, 2001 Nov; ISBN 1-85233-497-5).
Pete Seiden
Peter became interested in astronomy at the age of eleven and in those early years did much observing and telescope making. He formed Portsmouth Astronomy Society and with no internet and few private telephones he began organising group trips to other societies to see how they organised themselves. With inter-society co-operation and discussion at the forefront of his interest, he beacme an active participant in the newly-formed (1973) Southern Area Group of Astronomical Societies (SAGAS), producing for them, SCAN, a continuously updated catalogue of societies, astronomers and other areas of interest in the South of England. Since then, he has produced, edited and contributed to a number of astronomy publications
Graham Bryant
Graham has been interested in astronomy and space sciences since the age of 11, with a main interest in meteors. He has his own observatory with a 12 inch Newtonian reflector equipped with video and CCD cameras for digital imaging of the night sky. By profession, Graham has worked for the NHS for over 30 years and currently manages several NHS addiction treatment facilities across Hampshire. In the late 1980’s, Graham joined Hampshire Astronomical Group, with it's four observatories and clubroom located at Clanfield (north of Portsmouth) and considered one of the best amateur facilities in the UK. This is the third site for the Group, previous ones having been vacated due to light pollution.
Matin Male
Martin is 52 and and works in the nuclear industry. He lives on Romney Marsh in Kent with his wife, Jane and they are both keen sailors and enjoy the theatre, opera and classical music. Martin is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a member of the British Astronomical Association and the Flamsteed Astronomy Society, Greenwich.
He has a modest observatory in their garden and says
he is just getting to grips with a very sensitive CCD camera, although
he still enjoy simply looking at the (dark) night sky with just his eyes!
Dave Paul
Dave is a Mechanical Engineer previously working for a premier luxury car manufacturer and is now Sales and Marketing Director for an international automotive supplier. He first got interested in astronomy at the age of nine using a pair or binoculars from his garden, just outside of Nuneaton, where the skies were quite dark. After many years absence, his interest in astronomy was rekindled whilst on holiday in rural France. He says he'd forgotten how beautiful the night sky was and how much had been lost in Britain. He joined CfDS and became a Local Officer for North Essex and then a committee member. Dave admits that astronomy is perhaps least on my mind when it comes to light pollution as he is more concerned about the sheer waste of energy and its effect on our (and our childrens) environment.