Connecting my past with my passion

After driving from Texas to San Diego via the southern route, I returned via a more northern route. Along the drive home, I suddenly realized I was passing the National Radio Astronomy Observatory site (www.nrao.edu).

I stopped along the highway to take a break and take some pictures.

I my earlier life, the movie Contact made an impact on me.

I have always been fascinated with our Universe. While not going into a field dealing with Astronomy, I have read many books dealing with the sciences of Cosmology throughout my life.

In my early years out of college, I worked for the Navy in research dealing with the mathematics of beam-forming for acoustic systems. The math came from early work done to form directional beams (a focused direction block information from other directions) using multiple Radio Telescopes.

As time moved on, I developed tools dealing with use of beam-forming and electromagnetic waves (of which Radio Telescopes fall).

In the early 2000's, after urging from my daughter I began my writing about the Universe in my series "Watcher In The Fall". I pulled from my long love and history of math, science and how they tie to the understanding of our Universe.

In going through my travel photographs, I remembered the one I took along side of the highway. Working with the talented Kristin Hardy (https://www.kristinhardydesign.com/about.html) she was able to take my Photo and add in an image of the Milky Way, bring the image to life and tying together this wonderful image that is so much a part of my life.

I hope you enjoy this image as much as I do.