CLASS OF 1983 | 2024 | SUMMER ISSUE
Marc Dantonio sent in this update:
“Hello, Wesalums!
“So, it’s been great here for our efforts in educating folks around the world in astronomy. I graduated from Wesleyan with an astro degree in 1983, did some advanced degree work in computer science, but have come back to my roots.
“I started SkyTour LiveStream Observatories, a group of remotely accessed observatories in Connecticut and in Arizona with a variety of instrumentation to take deep sky imagery of phenomena in the universe. We started a nonprofit organization, also named SkyTour LiveStream, to accomplish this and to hopefully acquire grant money to expand our programs.
“To the end of keeping the attention of people viewing our livestreams from around the world, I made sure our telescope was an excellent optical instrument with a tuned camera specifically selected to work with our system, while concurrently adding some optical changes to the basic system. Together the system acquires images 25 times faster than the native telescope would have. This means we can show people deep sky objects, including stellar nurseries and dark nebulae (our original birthplace), in a fraction of the time it might take to capture such images. Thus, in one night we can visit many different locations and capture many different objects.
“During our streams, and through friends at SpaceX, we run contests and present a lucky winner with Celestron Binoculars, a Sionyx night vision system, or a full Celestron telescope package. We are serious about astronomy!
“Finally, we make all of these images of fantastical objects available free on our online server, which anyone is free to peruse with almost two years of data. So far people using our data have found vanishing stars, asteroids moving through our fields of view, and more. They can get started by joining our YouTube channel, SkyTour LiveStream with Marc Dantonio, and/or going to SkyTourLive.org, which is our portal to the universe.
“We are looking forward to expanding into the Southern Hemisphere [by] adding a telescope in Australia and continuing the mission in the USA with a mobile observatory with the same capabilities as our best telescopes!
“Without Wesleyan none of this would have been possible in a professional capacity! Thank you WESU!!!—Marc”
Mark Kushner shared, “I am proud to report that I have two kids at Wes. My daughter, Kyra ’24, had a great experience at Wesleyan as an English and film major.” Mark said she worked hard to finish her senior thesis documentary film, and was captain of the women’s club soccer team. Kyra also co-led “Spike Tape, a student-led theater company she helped co-found, that they started when Second Stage died during the pandemic, putting on over 20 productions a year. My son, Tor, is a frosh (’27), rowing crew, playing intramural soccer, and thinking about joining CSS as he loves philosophy and economics. And yes, they actually get along, playing co-ed intramural soccer together. Go Wes!”
Laurie Hills is retiring from her role as your class secretary. We extend our sincere gratitude and thanks to her for keeping all of you connected to each other and to Wes. If you are interested in becoming the new class scribe, please contact Liz Martin Taylor ’87, Class Notes Editor, at classnotes@wesleyan.edu.