Mark Manner
Deep-Sky Astrophotographer

The astronomical firm of Manner, Apochromat, Ritchey and Chrétien

By day, BSAS member Mark Manner is the managing partner of the Nashville law firm of Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner. By night, he is an avid amateur astronomer and accomplished astrophotographer.

Mark's Spot Observatory in Hickman County is home to an RCOS 16" Carbon Ritchey-Chrétien with F/9 ion-milled optics (figured to less than 1/50th wave RMS) on a Paramount ME robotic mount. To this jaw-dropping setup, Mark added an SBIG ST-10XE camera with adaptive optics to capture the images seen here.

Spot Observatory also houses a Astro-Physics 155mm F/7 StarFire EDF on an MI-250 robotic mount for eyepiece and binocular observation. And for daytime astronomy, Mark's setup includes a Baader Herschel Wedge Solar Prism and Coronado SolarMax 60 dedicated Hα telescope.

Recent Photographs from Spot Observatory
Click each image for a larger version and technical details