As far back as I can remember, I was completely thrilled with all things having to do with flight, space, and some astronomy.  I am sure it came as no surprise to my family when after college, I joined the Navy to become a Naval Aviator.  Following Filght Training in Pensacola, FL, I moved to Virginia where I flew the Grumman E2-C Hawkeye, a carrier based Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.  It was on the long flights over the open ocean at night that I again became interested in Astronomy as I would spend my evening watching the heavens thru a pair of binoculars from my plane.

Several years later, I eventually got my first real telescope, a Meade ETX-70.  Since then, my collection of scopes and other "toys" has grown

a bit and my current primary scopes are the LX90 seen in this image and my Takahashi TSA-102 mounted on a TAK NJP.  These days, my real passion is astro-photography which, along with its many frustrations is also incredibly rewarding.  My primary cameras are my Meade DSI's (DSI Pro II and DSI Pro III), my LPI for planetary imaging, and my Canon 300D which serves double duty for both astro and non-astro photography.

In the fall of 2006 I was able to realize a dream of mine for some time to build a real observatory.  The King George Observatory (seen below) is a 16 x 10 Roll-Off Roof with a warm room and room for two telescopes.

I currently live in King George, VA with my wife, two kids, and a dog where I am an Information Systems Consultant by day.  I belong the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers, our local astronomy club, and do presentations for local schools and public groups on astronomy.

I can be reached at shamilton@hcadvantage.com