EARTHBOUND ASTRONOMER
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About

ABOUT EARTHBOUND ASTRONOMER

earthbound astronomer was conceived on a walk along the trails of pedernales falls state park in the spring of 2014. I wanted to find a way to combine my love for camping with my passion for astronomy. The Texas state park system has so much to offer including many facilities with dark skies. In 2016 the state park project began with the assessment of Pedernales Falls, it seemed only fitting. Our website went live in 2017 and since then Earthbound astronomer has grown into more than its humble beginnings.

We have become a resource hub for science communicators and AMATEUR astronomers alike. we provide open source educational resources, soon to be offered in multiple languages. in the past year we have made our public presence known by way of outreach, star party production, and exclusive excursion events. In the coming year we will be adding to these offerings and so much more. we hope you will come to think of Earthbound astronomer as a go-to organization for all things astronomy and STEM. And we hope you will also join us for the ride.

Clear Night Skies,

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I'm usually the one behind the lens, so please forgive the overt "selfie" nature of this photo.

Hello.  My name is Dawn Davies. I am an amateur astronomer, science educator, creator, geek, wife, mother, and Most of all; a lover of dark nights and clear skies.

I currently wield an array of scopes and EQUIPMENT, including:

  • 152mm Explore Scientific Achromatic refractor

  • 80mm explore scientific triplet refractor

  • 10" Orion Intelliscope Dobsonian reflector

  • 80mm Orion explorer binoculars

  • 50mm double stack lunt solar telescope

  • Unistellar eVScope 1st gen

    From time to time, you might find me toting my 60mm Celestron refractor, AFFECTIONATELY named "The Rinky Dink.” It was my first telescope, and while it has seen better days, it is a fantastic piece with which to teach and take on outreach OUTINGS. It proves that, in many ways, size doesn’t matter.

On the observing field, I am never without my eyepiece case of Explore Scientific beauties, my Celestial Teapot Planisphere, and my arsenal of maps, charts, and apps. I love talking about all things astronomy with special interests in constellation myth and citizen science.

During the week, I can be found traversing the Hill Country as the Night Sky Program Manager for the Hill Country Alliance. On the weekends, when the sun is up or the clouds are out you can usually find me out and about with my husband and our eleven-year-old son.

Each month you can spot me on the UT Austin campus at the Austin Astronomical Society’s General Meeting. Though it is safe to say if anything of an astronomical or scientific nature is occurring in and around Austin, I'm probably there.

Ambassador - Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program (ACEAP 2020)
Explore Alliance Ambassador - Explore Scientific
Volunteer Advocate - International Dark Sky Association
Dark Skies Ambassador - International Astronomical Union
Member - Austin Astronomical Society, Astronomers Without Borders. Astronomical Society of the Pacific, International Dark Sky Association (IDA), Texas Chapter of the IDA

OUR PARTNERS

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Founder and director of Starry Sky Austin, Amy Jackson is an educator EXTRAORDINAIRE and crusader for dark skies.

a graduate of the University of Houston and Rice University, she holds a b.a. in physics and a master of science in teaching, respectively. her mission, and that of starry sky Austin, is to provide astronomy outreach and education to individuals of all ages; “…we inspire people to become lifelong learners, grow in awareness of our place in the universe, and truly connect with the cosmos”.

Her background is extensive, having taught at the University of Texas in Austin, the Houston Museum of natural science, the Austin independent school district, the Austin nature and science museum, and most recently as an educator and observatory operator at Travis county’s Reimers ranch observatory. in 2017 Amy was selected as one of ten ambassadors to take part in the Astronomy in chile educator program, spending nine days on an expedition in the high elevations of the Atacama desert. in 2018 she was awarded the million women mentors - texas individual mentor stand up for STEM award for her passion for encouraging and inspiring girls and women to pursue careers in STEM, and for her tireless devotion to education and outreach.

in her downtime, you can find Amy out and about in nature, camping or hiking in the many city and state parks with her husband and three daughters. and as if that is not enough, she is also an accomplished writer, the author of “Cassandra and the night sky” a children’s book about a brave girl growing up in a land without stars.

Past collaborations have included Co-Teaching astronomy through the University of texas informal educator program and co-leading space science badge workshops for the girl scout council of central texas.

Ambassador - Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program (ACEAP 2017)
Astronomy Educator - Girl Scouts of Central Texas
Member- Austin Astronomical Society, Astronomy Society of the Pacific, International Dark Sky Association (IDA), Texas Chapter of the IDA, Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin, Astronomers Without Borders, American Association of Variable Star Observers

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