Rankin Achieves Astronomical Imaging Milestone
William Rankin, the retired College of Aeronautics professor and current adjunct faculty member, has successfully observed and photographed all 110 celestial objects included in 18th century French astronomer Charles Messier’s catalog.
This astrophotography feat was recognized by the Astronomical League, to which Rankin belongs, and earned the former professor of aviation management a certificate and pin. The nearly 80-year-old League is an umbrella organization of more than 330 amateur astronomy societies across the United States.
The Messier observation program was approved by the League in 1966, the first such program it approved. The selection of objects is highly regarded and often a starting point for amateur astronomers observing and imaging.
“Of the myriads of star clusters and nebulae scattered over the sky only about 100 (perhaps 110 at most) can claim membership to this celebrated list,” the League wrote in its introduction to the Messier imaging program. “However, this happens to include most, but not quite all, of the finest of these objects observable from mid-northern latitudes.”
From his cozy North Carolina home observatory, complete with a roll-off roof, Rankin uses his William Optics Ultra-Cat 108, a premium refractor telescope designed for advanced astrophotographers seeking deep-sky imaging, to capture his remarkable photographs. In addition to his teaching at Florida Tech, Rankin is observatory director for the Forsyth Astronomical Society in Winston-Salem, N.C.
