Photo: Rc-Fall 1997

I guess the much too popular broblem of light pollution is really the reason that brought me to build my observatory. In 1998, after the last payment on my house, I was looking into realizing a long time dream: have my own horse! But I guess by now I was a bit wiser and realized all the work that would be needed in caring for a horse. Then came Halley's Comet... I guess like most Earthlings, astronomy has always facinated me, but that same year the media mentioned that Halley would be visible to humans! That was quite a revelation to me. I never thought that a comet could be seen by a human eye. Anyway I wasn't able to find it. I then thought I would have needed a telescope to see a comet... That's when my "horse" turned into a telescope: a 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain (Criterion)!

I drove to Rimouski, at La Maison de L'astronomie, who has moved to Montreal that same year.I was aware that a 200mm was a bit big for a first telescope, especially for someone new to the field of astronomy but bought it anyway... Now I had to learn to use it. Along with the telescope I received the "Observer's Handbook" which soon became my "Astro-Bible". In it I found out about : declinations, right assention, magnitude, constellations, galaxies, nebulae... That was in 1986 when only one neighbour had a light in his backyard. I had clear dark skies in my backyard. I remember one night (I didn't know then that the planets would also be accessible...) I noticed a bright "starlike-object" that wasn't in my book. I decided to first go through the list I had made for the evening and I would check out that object before turning in. I didn't need any documents... Saturn! I shouted out. I could actually see it's rings! I guess the neighbours were polite enough not to say anything about the noise the next day. It was around 1h30 am

Over many nights of observing, I was discovering some of the wonders of our night skies. If only there was someone else in this universe looking at the same objects... One day I found the address to the RASC (in Ontario). I wrote to them but the letter came back... Some months later, I found another address, this time in BC... same thing; the letter came back. It was getting harder to find another astronomer than it was to find M51! And then, I found a more recent address, this time in Ottawa. The letter didn't come back but no news either. Then one day I got a phone call from, a member of the RASC, would you believe: Damien Lemay! I was so glad, I remember telling him: "Even if there's an earthquake, lightning, or whatever, please do not hang up!" I had finally made contact with another earthling astronomer! From there, as Damien had suggested, I went to the Congres de la FAAQ, in Québec, in June of 1987, where I met some members of the Club d'astronomie de Rimouski, of which I am a member ever since. I didn't know who Damien Lemay was then, but every time I mentioned his name, eyes would open wide and they would say: "You know Damien Lemay?" I know now that Damien had been the founder of the astro club in Rimouski and was past-president of the RASC!

So I became a member of their club -and still am a member to this day. I found there, a very nice group of people who made me feel at home though I didn't know much about astronomy. I had a chance to meet members of La FAAQ -especially Jean-Marc Richard who helped me a lot in starting a club in my region. From there, ASTRO CLUB BOREALIS held its first meeting in September 1990.