Local amateur astronomer provides pictures of the skies
by Angie Asam– Staff Writer
Owen Brege has lived in Rogers City all of his life and worked in the grocery business here for 38 years. Originally at the Rogers City IGA and now at Glens Market, what you may not know about Brege is that he has his own telescope observatory and has been an amateur astronomer for 40 years. Brege started with a smaller telescope before upgrading to his Celestron 8-inch and donating the other one to the Grambau Center. In the past, Brege volunteered his time to run the planetarium for students at the Grambau Center. With his telescope Brege is able to zoom in to view the sun in full or even further to see just one spot close up on the sun. Not only does Brege observe the skies but he enjoys taking pictures of his observations to share his work with others.
He admits that when all there was to use was 35mm film, the practice of photographing was much more difficult. ?I might shoot a whole roll of film and get back one or two shots, digital has made it much easier, if I don?t like it I can get rid of it right away,? said Brege. According to Brege planets are still very difficult to photograph because they move so quickly through the skies. Brege checks weather conditions and sky conditions on his computer before deciding to observe as well as getting weekly email letting him know the positions of planets, the moon, comets and other astronomical bodies.
?I observe when I can around work schedules, and the Michigan weather makes it tough to observe sometimes,? said Brege. On his old 35mm camera, all Brege could take pictures of, and get to turn out to his specifications, was the moon; but having a digital camera has allowed him to practice taking photos of other things. Brege enjoys sharing his hobby with others as he enjoys showing other people what he sees through his telescope.