Chris O'Byrne

Astronomy

I've been interested in astronomy since about age 10. My interest has since brought me around the world chasing total solar eclipses with the ecliptomaniacs - a bunch of great travelling companions who take some pretty mean photographs.

Astronomy and Computers

I've developed a particular interest in the mathematics of the sky. I've created a file of the positions of Comet Halley between 261BC and 2380AD. I've written a javascript eclipse calculator which has since been improved (with the help of Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus) and published as the NASA Solar Eclipse Explorer. (There is also a NASA Lunar Eclipse Explorer). I've written a version of the eclipse calculator for java-enabled mobile phones which is available from the ecliptomaniacs web site. I've produced a file of the Besselian Elements for all solar eclipses in DE406. And I've done some investigation into refraction.

Computers

Programming is both a hobby and a profession. Actually it is more than a hobby - I believe computer programming is an art form. Anyhow, I used to have a Psion series 5 for which I wrote some software - unfortunately, my Psion is now dead. If you are involved in geolocation, my Gridconv package, documented on my computers page will, I hope, be of use. My latest project is YAVRTOS - a real-time operating system for Atmel® AVR® microcontrollers.

Photography

Photography is another hobby, though I usually only take photos when abroad or on special occasions. However, there are a few I've taken that I'm quite happy with.

Fun

I can't mention eclipse-chasing and the Ecliptomaniacs enough. It is a fantastic way to see the world, and a total solar eclipse is truly a magnificent, awe-inspiring experience.

So what happens when a tall bus tries to go under a low bridge?

I'm fascinated with borders - the idea that you can take a step and move from one county / country / continent to another. I had the idea of trying to visit all the places in Ireland where three counties meet at a point - unfortunately, I only managed to get Dublin-Kildare-Meath before I ran out of steam (and sufficiently good maps!).

I've also done some other geolocation-related fun things, like visit a few degree confluences for the Degree Confluence project, and place the first geocache in Europe for the GPS cache hunt.