Stephen O'Meara ("Seeing Faint: It's About Time" and "The Art of Astronomical Drawing -- BYOE (Bring Your own Egg)") is an award winning visual observer, who has been honoured by the International Astronomical Union by having Asteroid 3637 O'Meara named after him. The Texas Star Party gave him its prestigious Lone Stargazer Award (2001) and the Omega Centauri Award for "his efforts (1994) in advancing astronomy through observation, writing, and promotion, and for sharing his love of the sky". He has also been awarded the Caroline Herschel Award for his pre-Voyager visual discovery of the spokes in Saturn's B-ring, and for being the first to determine visually the rotation period of Uranus. His remarkable skills continually reset the standard of quality for other visual observers. Stephen was the first to sight Halley's Comet on its return in 1985.

Seeing Faint: It's About Time Although CCD imaging has revolutionized the way we see the universe, the human eye is still by far the finest and fastest photon detector ever made. You don't have to cool it down to minus 50º C to eliminate the noise, or take a dark frame and a white frame to eliminate the imperfections. You don't even have to wait for the image to download, it's always there. The challenge we all face, whether you are a novice or an experienced observer is how do you train your eyes to see more. What are the real limits? On Saturday evening Stephen will address this question and related topics. He will share his thoughts on limiting magnitudes (naked-eye and telescopic), historical comparisons and the reliability of limiting magnitudes (seeing at the limit), how to expand your visual horizon, dark adaptation, the effects of oxygen on seeing, and location, location, location (how location affects visual limits).

The Art of Astronomical Drawing -- BYOE Sketching what you see in the eyepiece is a classic method you can use to record your observations and train your eyes to see more. Famous astronomers such as Galileo and Percival Lowell used their drawings to help us understand the nature of our solar system. Anyone can draw! On Friday, you will have an opportunity to learn from a master. In this hands-on workshop, Stephen will teach you the reason and philosophy behind astronomical drawing and how, by applying yourself to the art, you will become a better, more astute observer.