Over the years, in my wanderings among the stars, I have met some really wonderful people. In this column I wish to praise two of them, Scott Roberts, CEO of Explore Scientific, and Dean Koenig of Starizona. When I introduced them on January 19, 2001, (actually the night before George W. Bush’s inauguration) at a family dinner, I was not sure they’d get along. After all, as business people they were competitors; Scott was a Vice President of Meade at the time, and Dean emphasizes Celestron products at Starizona, his telescope store.   What I didn’t take into account was the utter decency and humanity of both men. They liked each other from the start, and their friendship has lasted to this day.

Together, Dean and Scott are responsible for thousands of new people getting into astronomy. They both have a way of making their products easy to use. Dean gets just as excited watching a young, new observer see Saturn’s ring for the first time as he does when a more experienced observer shoots his or her first wide field astrophoto using his famous hyperstar lens attached to a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.   With Dean, the sale at the store is but the opening salvo of a relationship. He brings the full measure of his enthusiasm to making sure that each customer gets the full benefit of the technology he offers. He is there to offer as much, or as little, help as each customer needs, and he does it with patience and care. I love and respect that attitude.

 Photo by Wendee Levy.
Wendee took this picture of me
standing next to Flaire. 
New corrector is at top. 
In its center stands a beautiful Hyperstar.

When Scott was at Meade he founded Meade 4M, which as of today boasts almost fifty thousand members, probably and easily the largest astronomy “club” in the world. The site offers special Meade deals and arrangements, but at its heart it is so much more than that: it encourages amateur astronomers to get together, observe together, and learn from each other. Meade 4M is a wonderful idea. Now, at Explore Scientific Scott has begun the Explore Alliance, which is growing exponentially. 

Both Scott and Dean thrive on innovation. For Scott, the line of telescopes and eyepieces helps to make our hobby more productive and fun. Scott’s design and production of the “David H. Levy Comet Hunter Telescope” is one of the greatest honors I have ever received, and we appreciate the donation each scope sale brings more than we can ever say. Dean’s imaginative products include a great big 12-inch astrograph, one of the best ever introduced, and the hyperstar lens that turns an f/10 slowpoke into a f/2 speeding bullet is nothing short of amazing. This lens was designed and updated by one of the truly great optical designers in the world, and the field it offers is flat and sharp right to the edge. 

Without the friendship I share with these two, I’d be wandering aimlessly in the tall grass. A deeply spiritual man, Dean often reminds me what things are really important in life. Ten years ago, he gave me the chance to launch my own radio show, and Wendee and I have been hosting Let’s Talk Stars  ever since. I could go on and on, but my point has been made: I hope that Scott and Dean live for a hundred years more, and that each day of those years inspires more special people to reach for the stars.