Monthly Meeting December – Backyard Observing with Jennie McCormick

How does observing from your garden turn into serious astronomical research?

We all know that astronomy is a diverse and exciting science, that is probably what got us into it in the first place. However, it also offers numerous opportunities for amateur astronomers to be part of important research discoveries and at times, can produce some unexpected surprises.

This presentation is a pictorial look at how backyard observing turned into serious research observing from a suburban backyard in Farm Cove, Auckland.

Jennie is an amateur astronomer who conducts astronomical research from her observatory in Farm Cove, Auckland. She has been involved in the collaborative discovery of more than 20 distant planets, including a new solar system and Binary Star Solar System.
She takes regular data on Cataclysmic Variable stars for the Center for Backyard Astrophysics and measures the positions of comets and asteroids for the Minor Planet Center. 

In September 2009, Jennie discovered her first asteroid and officially named it, New Zealand!

In the late 1980’s she joined the Auckland Astronomical Society and for 15 years, worked as an educator at Auckland Observatory.
Jennie is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand (RASNZ) and sits on the RASNZ Council as the Fellows Representative.

In 2008/2009 she coordinated the International Year of Astronomy 2009’s, 100 Hours of Astronomy event. This became the largest global science outreach event held to date and gave millions of people the chance to look through a telescope for the very first time while highlighting the wonders of astronomy to an extensive global audience.

When not observing, Jennie manages a community House in East Auckland, can be found growing vegetables, caring for native birds, photographing sunrise and sunsets from her Farm Cove garden and spending as much time as possible with her three young grandchildren.