PEMBROKE, Maine — Charlie Sawyer just can’t keep his passion for astronomy to himself.
In 1997, he founded the Downeast Amateur Astronomers club and in 2002 built the Downeast Observatory adjacent to his home in Pembroke in part so the club would have a place to meet.
The observatory — billed as the “most easterly observatory in the U.S.” — is open to the public by appointment and has hosted school groups, college students, Scout troops and families.
“The only price of admission to my observatory is curiosity,” Sawyer said.
Area public schools don’t have access to planetariums, making his observatory a nice resource for them, he said.
Sawyer works with students taking astronomy classes at University of Maine in Orono. Those who live nearby go to his observatory instead of going to the Orono campus, he said.
The observatory itself consists of two rooms: one that is about 14-by-14 and another that is 12-by-12.
The larger room, which was the first constructed, houses several telescopes and has a rollback roof.
“It needs a paint job, I might add,” Sawyer quipped.
The smaller room, constructed in 2008, is insulated and contains computers.
“It’s comfortable even in the winter time, provided it’s not buried in snow,” he said.
Last winter, Sawyer could not keep up with the snow and didn’t even have a path shoveled to the observatory. Unfortunately, the roof was damaged by all the snow, he said.
“I’m thinking about building a whole new unit,” Sawyer said, adding he is working on drawings and has not started construction. If he moves forward and all goes well, the new observatory room would be ready by spring 2016, he said.
Sawyer’s club has helped shape budding astronomers. Three youths who joined the Downeast Amateur Astronomers went on to college for astronomy and astrophysics, he said.
As for Sawyer, 54, he is completely self-taught. He did not go to college right out of high school; he earned a degree in business 16 years ago at age 38.
In addition to all his astronomy activities, Sawyer works full time in Machias as a customer service representative for InquisIT, a contractor for the Department of Navy.
He feels free to investigate whatever he wants, but a professional astronomer may be assigned to study only comets or asteroids.
“Being an amateur astronomer is cool. The whole sky is yours,” Sawyer, who has been interested in the topic since he was 12 or 13, said. “Some of the professional astronomers are limited to one [projects.]”
One of his favorite personal astronomy experiences was watching the Shoemaker Levy 9 comet hit Jupiter in 1994, he said.
In 2013, he joined a supernova team headed by Doug Rich of Hampden, who found a supernova, or exploding star, that same year. Sawyer said he has co-discovered four supernovae since joining the team. Rich has discovered more than 20.
“It is so cool to realize that we were the first people on earth to see these supernovae, which exploded millions of years ago,” Sawyer said, explaining the image took millions of years to reach earth.
Those interested in learning more are invited to meet Sawyer and other amateur astronomers at the 2015 Maine State Star Party in Cobscook State Park Aug. 28 and Aug. 29.
For an appointment to visit the Downeast Observatory, email Sawyer at csawyer7@roadrunner.com.