Albert Highe RIP

[gff...@gmail.com]

Albert passed peacefully this morning.

He was a Good Friend and made many contributions to the Amateur Astronomy Community.

Please share your memories of him.

Clear Skies and Wet Eyes,

George Feliz

[Paul Alsing]

I am sorry to hear this, he was a very nice fellow and a fine ATM...

[Peter Santangeli]

Very sad news.

Albert was genuinely an inspirational figure, in the depth of his knowledge, his craftmanship and design skills, and his willingness to fight his physical disabilities. 

20 years ago I built my ultralight 16 inspired by Albert's designs. If there was any fairness to industry, Albert's name would be renowned with figures like Tom Johnson of Celestron, Roland Christen of Astro-physics, Ed Byers for his drives, others of that ilk.

He was also a good guy.

He will be missed.

pete

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[Joe Lin]

Sorry to hear he has left us.  

I met him once 15 years ago at a star party in Mariposa. He chatted about his telescope design and shared some impressive views of galaxies. Very nice and friendly person. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/CALeFARwBb47XUDNCFgEMoyOCdTcCeeM05mX-EodOhFRczEikqg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Peter Natscher]

I'm so sad to hear this.  Albert offered ATM help to anyone who asked.  He was a wonderful person to have known.  I will miss him.  My condolences to hisfamily.  RIP Albert.

[Michelle Stone]

I'm not taking this news well. He was one of the best friends I've
ever had. Thank you Albert for making my life so much richer.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/8b9acb71-160e-4c39-aee1-6affb68fd29fn%40googlegroups.com.

[Jamie Dillon, DDK]

Albert was a thoroughly wonderful person. One of my very favorite human beings, I'm so glad to have been buddies with him.

OK George, a story. One evening I showed up at Coe when Greg Laflamme was just starting to come out observing. Another very good egg. Apparently, just before I got there, Greg was cruising the scopes and people and saw an Albert Highe design, got excited. He walked up to the person and scope and said, "Hey, that's an Albert Highe telescope!" The guy said, "That stands to reason, I'm Albert Highe."

Lots of stories and amazements over this rare and beautiful man.

We love you Albert and always will.

Here, Dillon, Dillon and Highe attached.

[gff...@gmail.com]

A memory of Albert's observing prowess:

*** The Birthday Cluster ***

Figure 1 - Some of the brighter galaxies near the center of the Perseus Cluster. NGC1275 is the brightest and lies in the SE corner of the parallelogram. Image from the STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Width is 15' and North is up.

 

Observing Challenge - 300 Galaxies in the Perseus Cluster, Abell 426

Albert Highe

For those who want to jump straight to the observing list, click here.Background

I’m fascinated by patterns of galaxies appearing within narrow fields of view. Consequently, I like to observe galaxy clusters. I'm drawn to one galaxy cluster in particular, Abell 426 in Perseus. The Perseus Cluster has special meaning to me after I "discovered" it on my birthday a few years ago. While searching for NGC 1275 with my 12.5" scope, I was surprised to see nine galaxies in a relatively narrow field of view. Four of the brighter galaxies, including NGC 1275, the brightest, lie at the corners of a parallelogram (Figure 1). I could see quite a few more galaxies while scanning the immediate area. I’ve since spent a lot of time on my "Birthday Cluster," returning to it again and again to enjoy the views and to seek out new members.

Uranometria 2000.0 shows a close up plot of this cluster on chart A4. A dashed circle with a diameter of approximately 3º indicates the location and size. However, as I hunted down galaxies in the circle, three questions arose. 

1. Do all the observable galaxies within the circle belong to the cluster? 
2. Are there observable cluster members that are not plotted in Uranometria? 
3. Do cluster members lie outside the circle?

Sourcing the Data

To answer those three questions, I searched the academic literature for information on the Perseus Cluster. Cluster members have been studied extensively and quite a lot is known about their precise coordinates, radial velocities, magnitudes, and morphologies. A variety of sources, shown below in Table 1, provide lists of galaxies within the Perseus Cluster.  The most extensive list is by Brunzendorf and Meusinger (1999). They identified galaxies down to magnitude 19.5 within a square approximately 3º on a side. Most of these galaxies are too faint to be seen in amateur telescopes. Some of the other references include galaxies farther away from the center. However, most data are limited to galaxies brighter than magnitude 15.7. 

To generate the most up-to-date and complete list, I ran several "near name" searches on the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) website. Searches generated over 2400 galaxies within 3º from the center, and over 3800 galaxies within 4º from the center. The majority of these galaxies are very faint, and only recently have been catalogued by the Two Micron All Sky Survey.  Most have no visual magnitude or radial velocity data. For example, within 4º, radial velocity data are reported for approximately 9% (340 galaxies out of the more than 3800). Fortunately, the radial velocities of most of the brighter galaxies (those visible with amateur telescopes) have been measured. 

The objects on the target list meet the following criteria:

1. Lie within 3º from NGC 1275 and

   1. have photographic magnitudes brighter than 16.5, or

   2. have photographic magnitudes fainter than 16.5, but Brunzendorf and Meusinger (1999) indicate their surface brightness is brighter than 21.0, or

   3. are as faint as magnitude 17.5 if they have more common designations, or

   4. show up well on DSS images prepared as finder charts for other targets

2. Lie between 3º and 4º from NGC 1275 and

   1. have measured radial velocities less than 20,000 km/s, or

   2. show up well on DSS images prepared as finder charts for other targets.

These criteria pared the candidates down to 351.

Table 1 - Selected references

1
Tirion, W.; Rappaport, B.; Remaklus, W., Uranometria 2000.0 Deep Sky Atlas, Vol 1, Second Edition, Willmann-Bell Inc. (2001).
2
Chincarini, Guido; Rood, Herbert J., Dynamics of the Perseus Cluster of Galaxies, Astrophysical Journal, vol. 168, p.321 (1971).
3
Kent, S. M.; Sargent, W. L. W., The dynamics of rich clusters of galaxies. II - The Perseus cluster, Astronomical Journal (ISSN 0004-6256), vol. 88, p. 697 (1983).
4
Poulain, P.; Nieto, J.-L.; Davoust, E., Isophotal shapes of early-type galaxies. II - The Perseus Cluster, Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series (ISSN 0365-0138), vol. 95, no. 1, p. 129 (1992).
5
Andreon, S.; Davoust, E.; Poulain, P., Morphological classification and structural parameters of galaxies in the Coma and Perseus clusters, Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, Vol. 126, p. 67 (1997).
6
Brunzendorf J., Meusinger H., The galaxy cluster Abell 426 (Perseus). A catalogue of 660 galaxy positions, isophotal magnitudes and morphological types, Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, Vol. 126, p. 141 (1999).Analyzing and Verifying the Data

The Perseus Cluster is part of the vast Pisces-Perseus Supercluster. The mean radial velocity of galaxies in A426 is 5470km/sec (redshift = 0.0183).  Assuming a Hubble Constant of 65km/s/Mpc, its center lies approximately 270 million light years away.

Rich galaxy clusters like the Perseus Cluster are analogous to globular star clusters. They are dense, roughly spherical balls of galaxies in complex orbits around the center.  The concentration of galaxies in the Perseus Cluster is one of the highest known. The concentration is highest near the center and falls off rapidly farther away. There are a number of models for the concentration profile. 

Although the entire cluster recedes from us at the mean radial velocity, the velocity (or redshift) of individual galaxies can deviate significantly from the mean. Higher redshifts mean higher velocities. Based on the Hubble Constant, objects moving faster are believed to be at greater distances from us. However, since galaxies are in motion within the cluster, their velocities do not necessarily correlate with their distance from us. Depending on where they are in their orbits, their velocities relative to the center may either add or subtract from the mean velocity. The range of velocities is highest near the center of the cluster.  The range of velocities within the Perseus Cluster is one of the highest known. Near the core, corresponding roughly to the position of NGC 1275, radial velocities of members can vary as much as + 4150 km/sec.  At a radius of 3º, radial velocities cannot deviate more than + 1250 km/sec. 

Since galaxies within the Perseus Cluster can have such a wide range of velocities, it is more difficult to determine if galaxies within the field are in the foreground or background. Kent and Sargent (1983) presented a model for determining which galaxies are members of the Perseus Cluster.  Figure 2 is similar to one of the figures shown in their paper.  However, it contains data from a larger set of galaxies (from recent NED searches) and extends to a radius of 4º (vs. 3º in the original work).  Radial velocity of each galaxy is plotted vs. its distance from the cluster center.

The solid lines represent Kent and Sargent's velocity profile for cluster member galaxies vs. distance from the center. Galaxies with radial velocities outside these limit lines are considered field galaxies. However, there is some uncertainty in the model. Some galaxies outside, but near the limit lines, may be gravitationally bound to the cluster. 

Figure 2 - The radial velocity distribution profile for galaxies in Abell 426.

As already mentioned, the figure in Kent and Sargent's paper only included data out to a radius of 3º (180'). The dashed lines in Figure 2 are my extrapolation of their limit lines out to 4º. It is apparent from the figure that cluster members can be found out to 4º and beyond. Kent and Sargent estimate that the radius at which galaxies reach escape velocity could be as large as 7º.  However, the number of member galaxies becomes increasingly smaller at greater distances from the center. Consequently, I've currently limited my target list to galaxies within 4º. 

I found that the NED, SIMBAD, and "The Sky" databases have discrepancies among them. Over time, some errors have been discovered and corrected. Consulting the most recent databases was necessary to resolve some of the discrepancies. No doubt some mis-identifications still exist. However, to insure that a galaxy (by whatever name) exists at each of the listed coordinates, I downloaded an image for each object from the STScI Digitized Sky Survey. 

To aid locating each galaxy, I created a database of galaxies belonging to the Perseus Cluster shown in Table II and loaded it into "The Sky", running on my laptop computer. A planetarium program containing the custom database is a useful observing tool for three reasons. 

1. I can readily identify which galaxies are cluster members. 
2. I can see the entire set in order to plan a night’s observing strategy. 
3. With all the galaxies plotted at the correct coordinates, I know I will be searching in the right place.

At least 15 galaxies are mis-plotted in "The Sky" with deviations from 30" to 60". For brighter galaxies, this amount of deviation is not likely to cause any confusion. However, for the fainter galaxies, it is likely that the galaxy would not be found or be confused with other nearby galaxies.

The Observing List

The observing list is contained in Table II – Galaxies within 4º of NGC1275.

The headings of the columns in Table II are described in Table III below.

Table III - Description of headings in Table II

Headings

Description
Name
Generally the most common catalog name.
Alternate name

Identification in an alternate catalog.

Alternate name 2
Another identification in an alternate catalog.
RA
Right Ascension for Equinox 2000 in hours, minutes, and seconds.
DEC
Declination for Equinox 2000 in degrees, arc minutes, and seconds.
Magnitude
For most of the data, this is the photographic apparent magnitude with limiting isophote 25 mag/(arc sec)².
Surface brightness
Central surface brightness determined from the central 5 (arc sec)², in mag/(arc sec)². 
R vs. NGC1275
Distance of object from NGC1275, in degrees.
Radial velocity
Reported heliocentric radial velocity in km/sec.
Cluster member
Blank if considered gravitationally bound to the cluster, or if the radial velocity is unknown.
Date observed
Date of most recent observation with my 17.5" f/4.5 reflector.
Magnification
The magnification used for the reported observation
% time hold with averted vision
The percentage of time I could hold the object with averted vision.
Remarks
May include details of observation, etc.

You’ll notice several designations in Table II, including objects from NGC, IC, UGC, MCG, CGCG, and PGC catalogs. However, some less common designations are also used. References for these other designations are shown in Table IV.

Table IV - References for some less common object designations.

V Zw
Catalogue of Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies, I-VI, Zwicky F., et al., Calif. Inst. of Techn., Pasadena, 6 vols. (1961-68).
2MASX
2 Micron All Sky Survey Extended Objects
NPM
Lick Northern Proper Motion Program: NPM1 Reference Galaxies, Klemola A.R., Hanson R.B., Jones B.F.,  Astron. J. 94, 501 (1987).
IRAS
Joint IRAS Science Working Group. Infrared Astronomical Satellite Catalogs, 1988, The Point Source Catalog, Version 2.0, NASA RP-1190 vol. p. (1988).
B3
B3=Third Bologna Catalog of radio sources. Ficarra, A., Grueff, G., and Tomassetti, G., A New Bologna Sky Survey at 408 MHZ, Astr. Ap. Suppl. vol. 59 p. 255-347 (1985).
BM99
Brunzendorf J., Meusinger H., The galaxy cluster Abell 426 (Perseus). A catalogue of 660 galaxy positions, isophotal magnitudes and morphological types, Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, Vol. 126, p. 141 (1999).

I used another designation, BM99, to indicate those galaxies first identified in the Brunzendorf and Meusinger paper. For example, BM99-33 indicates the 33^rd galaxy listed in their study. Within the last year, the Two Micron All-Sky Survey has catalogued most of these galaxies. In those cases, I've substituted the 2MASX designation as the primary identification.

Note that Table II is not an exhaustive or definitive list of observable galaxies within the Perseus Cluster. Radial velocities have not been measured for many on the list. Without knowing the radial velocity, galaxy membership in the cluster is uncertain. Also, as already mentioned, some member galaxies lie farther than 4º from the core.

Observing Methodology

Although a large number of galaxies are clustered together in the central 1º, using a low power, wide field eyepiece will show very few at one time. Most of them are very small and faint. Higher magnification improves contrast and shows more detail. For observing faint, low contrast galaxies, I find using an exit pupil of approximately 1 - 1.5mm provides the optimum view. When using the 17.5" scope, I generally use magnifications of 267X or 286X (7.5mm Takahashi LE or 7mm Nagler T6 eyepieces, respectively). For viewing the smallest and faintest galaxies, and for splitting the very close galaxy pairs, I generally use 400X (5mm Takahashi LE or 5mm Nagler T6).  Of course, seeing must be very good to distinguish small galaxies from foreground stars. Detecting the faintest members also requires very dark skies with good to excellent transparency.

Preparation is very important for efficient, productive observing sessions. As mentioned above, for planning, I start with a custom database loaded into "The Sky". For unambiguous identification, I use photographic finder charts. A photographic image contains stars that can not be displayed by existing software. A galaxy’s precise location can be found relative to a pattern of nearby, even faint, foreground stars. In many cases, only after concentrating on that particular location did fainter galaxies "pop" into view with averted vision. If I had been looking as little as 1' away, I would likely have missed, or misidentified, many of them.

Because the concentration of galaxies is so much higher in the central region, I prepare different observing aids for the center vs. outlying areas. For the central 1º X 1º field, I downloaded an image from the STScI Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) and labeled galaxies using Photoshop. The resulting finder chart is too detailed to be useful when printed on a single 8-1/2" x 11" sheet. Consequently, I divided the file into six regions and printed out finder charts approximately 20' X 30'.  Alternatively, the single large file can be loaded onto a laptop for use in the field. Please feel free to download and use the labeled 1º X 1º finder chart for your search.

For galaxies outside of the central 1º X 1º area, I used a different approach. I downloaded a 15' X 15' DSS image for most of the individual galaxies, labeled it using Photoshop, and printed it.  However, intermediate-sized finder charts are helpful to organize the search by focusing on galaxies near to each other (rather than following a list ordered by right ascension). Using "The Sky", I printed out 20 intermediate-sized finder charts that define regions approximately 1-2º across and contain an average of 10 galaxies each. In a binder, I place individual DSS images behind each corresponding intermediate-sized finder chart. 

With a finder scope, I can quickly star hop to a small region defined by one of the intermediate-sized finder charts. Thereafter, it is relatively easy to use the intermediate-sized finder chart to hop from one galaxy field to the next at 286X while viewing through the eyepiece. The 15' X 15' DSS images are then readily available for identification.

An experienced observer with an 18" scope should be able to observe most (all?) of the galaxies listed in Table II. Some are very difficult, providing only intermittent sightings with averted vision. 

However, a large scope isn’t necessary to observe a large number of the cluster members. I also have observed quite a few of these galaxies with my 12.5" scope. On the other hand, someone with a 25" scope should be able to observe well over 400 galaxies! Anyone out there with a large scope willing to give it a try?

Are 300 objects within a 4º radius too much to tackle? How about trying for the galaxies within 1º of NGC1275 (2º diameter circle)?  Table II contains 145 galaxies within 1º of NGC1275.  So far, I have seen 137 galaxies within this smaller area. 

It is interesting to note that more than half the galaxies in Table II lie within 1º of NGC1275 , i.e. more than half lie within 1/9th the area or 1/27th the volume! This fact highlights how much denser the center of the cluster is. 

For those who are new to this cluster, I recommend starting in the center where the density of galaxies is the highest and where some of the cluster’s brightest members can be found. Approximately 25 relatively bright galaxies lie within 0.5º of the distinctive parallelogram, formed by NGC1275, 1272, 1273, and 1278. Most of these galaxies are plotted in Uranometria 2000.0. Once you have familiarized yourself with the brighter members, and can "galaxy hop" among them, begin searching for the fainter galaxies within this narrow field. Most of the fainter galaxies are not plotted in Uranometria 2000.0. To find them, either use a planetarium program that can display very faint field stars or download DSS images from the Internet. Alternatively, use the finder chart I've created. The finder chart consists of a STScI Digitized Sky Survey image of the central 1º X 1º field where all the galaxies on my observing list have been labeled. The finder chart is too detailed to be useful on one sheet. I recommend using it on a laptop or printing out smaller sections to use in the field. 

Only after observing all the galaxies in the central area, do I recommend searching for the outlying members. I recommend against working the list in the order shown in Table II (by RA). Even the outlying members can be conveniently observed in groups consisting of 3-7 nearest neighbors. Hopping among galaxies within these smaller groups, and then jumping to another group, made my observing sessions more efficient. Expect to spend several nights to observe all the members on the list.

Doing the background research and preparing my own observing list was unexpectedly rewarding. I started out observing galaxy clusters because it was a thrill to see interesting patterns formed by dense clusters of distant galaxies. In the end, I have a greater appreciation of the large-scale structure and workings of the universe. When I observe galaxies belonging to the Perseus Cluster, I am aware that I am looking at components of one of the largest and densest  galaxy clusters. Knowing the velocity of each galaxy allows me to visualize that universe in motion.

Selected Observing Notes

So far, I have seen 311 galaxies listed in Table II with a 17.5" scope. At least 31 of these galaxies likely do not belong to the cluster. Based on the radial velocity analysis, a minimum of 213 of the observed galaxies are members of the cluster.

Most of the galaxies on the observing list are faint. Also, initially I was more concerned about checking objects off my list rather than writing much detail about them. Consequently, most of my recorded descriptions are brief. In addition, my scale of what is "faint" or "small" changed during the course of making the observations. So, I don't think those terms are of much use. However, I feel it is important to provide some indication of the relative difficulty of seeing an object. I think two columns of Table II are more useful for that purpose - the magnification used for the observation and the percentage of time I was able to hold the object with averted vision. In most cases, objects that require higher magnification are more difficult. I generally was able to hold small, dim objects with averted vision longer at higher rather than at lower magnification. Any object that I could hold less than 50% of the time is very challenging.

MCG+7-8-4 (CGCG 541-003, PGC 12797): Plotted in Uranometria and has a listed magnitude of 15.2. However, it is only 18" away from an 11th magnitude star. After repeated attempts, I finally saw it with averted vision and could hold it 15% of the time at 286X. This is a very challenging object.

IC316: Plotted in Uranometria, and often referred to as one galaxy. However, there is a very close pair at this location, oriented north-south. I've designated them as IC316A and IC316B. IC316A is the brighter (mag 15.0), northern component. IC316B is the fainter (mag 15.8), smaller, southern component. This is a very difficult pair to split. The separation is only 11". At 267X, I can hold IC316A 100% of the time with averted vision. Half the time I can see an elongation toward the south. At 400X, I've held the smaller, fainter component about 20% of the time with averted vision.

UGC2756: Plotted in Uranometria. This is another close pair of galaxies, oriented north-south. I've designated them as UGC2756A (15.5) and UGC2756B (15.8). Although they are dimmer than IC316A, the pair are easier to split/see. They are 30" apart. I can hold A 80% of the time and B 50% of the time with averted vision at 267X.

[Paul Alsing]

You can get all of Albert's observing projects here...

https://web.archive.org/web/20160412072247/http://pw2.netcom.com/~ahighe/home.html

... and they are fabulous! Thanks you, Albert...

[Julien Lecomte]

To say that I am crushed with this news is an understatement.

I met Albert in 2009. I had just gotten back into the hobby a year before.

On my first outing, with my shiny new Meade Lightbridge 12" telescope (a 30th birthday present from my wife), I went out to Dinosaur Point and met up with Greg LaFlamme, Mark Johnston, and a few others. That was December 26, 2008. Greg LaFlamme (what a character that guy was!) had brought his homemade 12" portable telescope, and kept raving about the genius of its design. I was blown away! He told me: "You should meet this guy, Albert Highe. He designed it, and I built it!" And almost a year later, I certainly did, I think it was at CalStar 2009. Shortly after that encounter, I started an email correspondence with Albert, and asked if he would be willing to help a young buck (me) build a lightweight and compact 16" telescope. He said he would not help me build it, but he would help me design it, and would guide me through its construction.

And so we went ahead with the design. I have fond memories of those days. He asked me to cut up a large cardboard box to find out how big a box I'd be able to fit into my car. Then fill it with books to find out how heavy a load I could lift from the ground. This experiment would set the first parameters of the design. Then, we added a few more constraints. For example, I did not want to have to use a ladder, etc. Every step of the way, Albert did not tell me what I should do, but instead, just like Socrates, brilliantly led me to what was the only possible outcome by having me ask myself a few simple questions. I have carried these learnings with me ever since, and my approach to work and life have been greatly influenced by the experience of working through the design of my telescope with Albert.

The construction went well. Occasionally, I would run into a small issue, so I would email Albert, and a few hours later, I would receive a long email, filled with photos, answering my questions and so much more. I kept that correspondence, and I occasionally refer to it. It's a treasure. Eventually, I was able to complete the project and take my newly built telescope to a dark site. Albert and I met up at Dinosaur Point, which was one of his favorite spots. We were the only two people in that parking lot that night. I assembled my telescope, collimated it, and once the sky got dark, Albert gave it a try. He used it for a little while, without saying a word, but eventually settled back into his chair, looked at me with a big smile, and said "It's really good!" Needless to say, I was proud.

I still have my 16" Albert Highe telescope, and I enjoy using it every time I can. While the idea of selling it has crossed my mind from time to time, I am pretty certain that I will never part with it. It is just a simple and elegant design.

I thanked Albert for all his help several times, but I regret not telling him, in person, how much of an influence he had had on my life.

Albert, your friendship lives on. We'll think of you every time we look up. Godspeed, buddy!

- Julien

--

[Richard Ozer]

So sorry to hear. Great guy.

--

[Vishal Kasliwal]

I'm so sorry to hear that. May he rest amongst the stars.

Vishal

On Sun, May 28, 2023, 13:56 gff...@gmail.com <gff...@gmail.com> wrote:

--

[marek.c...@gmail.com]

I'm very sorry to hear of Albert's passing, he will truly be missed. It gives me some consolation to read these accounts of what a great person he was to so many people. He certainly was very kind and generous to me, and my memories of amateur astronomy will always be deeply intertwined with memories of Albert. I got into the hobby in a serious way in 2002, when I was in my mid-30s, and Albert was one of the people who was "present at the creation", in terms of my memories of my early days. Not only was he present at some of my first local observing sessions (Montebello, etc..), but all the good, generous, talented, inspiring things about Albert were immediately apparent from the get-go.

That, in and of itself, is a testament to Albert, I think. He was the last person who'd ever brag or make himself out to be either a big-shot or a "woe is me" figure. He never postured in any of those ways. And yet, I was almost immediately aware of the rather monumental testament to the human spirit that was playing out in front of me, every time I shared an observing site with him. I quickly came to know - I can't quite recall how - that he had a degenerative neuromuscular disease of some sort, and that in spite of this disease, he was constantly using the power of his mind to continue observing, to continue building telescopes, and make the absolute most of the time and ability he had. Perhaps Albert did tell me about his situation, I suppose it's quite possible that he did, but if so, he did it in an entirely humble way. He just got on with the business of living, of observing, and making the most of his life, while also being incredibly generous to so many of us.

I very much agree with what Pete said, that in an ideal world Albert's name would be renowned in the history of the development of instruments for amateur astronomy. I'm so grateful that he did write some books about his engineering and construction techniques, and that those books are out there, keeping alive a record of (at least some of) what he was able to envision and create. The optimization and elegance of his telescopes is truly remarkable, if one takes the time to study them, both in Albert's books and in the presence of the genuine articles. Long may they rear up to the sky, down through the generations!

Am I one of the people whom Albert aided in our hobby? Oh yes indeed. I bought a 10" Albert-esque dob from Dennis Steele at an SJAA swap meet once, and I wanted to put my own 10" primary (from my 2003-era Orion XT10) in it, with an Albert-style mirror cell. Albert answered many emails from me about how to design and build the cell, and when I finally got the project finished, it worked great. What a neat, elegant design! Albert was also very helpful to me when I was prepping for one of the two observing trips I took to Australia in the mid-2000s. He gave or loaned all sorts of images and data that helped me track down a lot of fascinating southern-hemisphere objects during those glorious nights near Coonabarabran. I'm glad Albert was able to make as many observing trips as he did, not only here in the Bay Area, but to LSA, the Sierra foothills, Haleakala, and Australia. His journeys through the universe were truly amazing.

Back in those early years of mine in the hobby, back around the 2000s, I can recall making many drives to places like Montebello, Coe, Coyote, and Fremont Peak. Albert was present at many of those observing sessions, although not all of them. But his inspiring spirit was always there. And back in those days, when we still had tape decks in our vehicles, I often used to listen to a book-on-tape of Timothy Ferris reading his book "The Red Limit". Over and over I used to listen to it, and my favorite part is when he quotes Albert Einstein, on the occasion of the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Max Planck. Perhaps I've posted this quote on TAC before, and perhaps I'll post it again when people who are "good eggs" like Albert pass on, but when I think of the general awesomeness of someone like him, I can't help but think of the love and admiration Einstein expressed for Planck. I'll just write it from memory. I'm probably not quite getting this right, but if I could go back in time to when I was listening to that tape for the umpteenth time, while driving to an observing session, possibly one with Albert, I think I'd hear something like this:

"Many types of men devote themselves to science, and not all of them for the sake of science herself. There are some who come in to her temple because it offers them the chance to display their particular prowess. To them, science is a kind of sport, in the practice of which they exult, much as an athlete exults in his muscular prowess. There is another class of men who come in to the temple to make an offering of their brain-pulp in exchange for a profitable return. These men are scientists only by the chance of some circumstance. Had the attending circumstance been different, they might have become politicians or captains of business. Should an angel of God descend and drive from the temple all those who belong to the categories I have mentioned, I fear the temple would be nearly empty. But a few worshipers would still remain; some from former times and some from our own. To these latter belongs our Planck, and that is why we love him."

Marek

[ma...@astrospotter.com]

Albert Highe defines a role model in several ways.  Marek and others have done wonderful tributes so here are some simple echos to honor a gentleman and contributor to our hobby and to showing how to be a 'Zen Master'  in the West.  

He exibited a devotion to tackle tedious astronomical observation projects as well as his understanding and then tackling the problems with designing as well as building unique approaches to Newtonian transportable telescopes.  As a master craftsmand/designer of  course there was the designing/building ... refining ... designing/building again and again.   A second way he showed some of the finest 'human' traits was sharing his experience freely mostly to us, the TACo 'tribe'.

I recall in very early 'Marko Training' at Montebello or Coyote or Coe, CalStar and so on being close enough to overhear Albert and other observers, often George Feliz, a close observing 'buddy' to Albert.   At this period I was trying to find ANYTHING and on the next scope over Albert and whoever he was 'tag observing with' discussing scope positioning and tracking down dim fuzzies in some obscure (to me at that time) cluster or segment of the night sky.   Albert was an early contributor to helping me in starting to understand of 'the art'  and my memories of Albert are all about respect and him being a role model I greatly appreciated.

Something else that Albert impressed on my training was how he handled the question of a newer person to astronomy who may ask him in one way or another 'What is the telescope I should get?'     Here Albert was the master at asking a great many questions of the typically 'young lad' and after that offer possible ways to explore stating their tradeoffs and costs and so on.   I don't recall the exact words but the gist of the message was to understand what you wish to experience, how much you want to see in the near term and fit the scope to your budget and ability to take the damn thing out to the field as much as possible.   A rich dude jumping out and getting a 28" instrument before he knows what to expect in transportaion/setup/what you see may end up with a scope sitting in storage most of the year.    You had to match portability with budget and drive for the observer.   A fine message Albert and a perfect example of Alberts practical approach to most any problem.  

As for the general human traits to be respected they have already been discussed in detail but it will be stated again.   Albert was as close to the principles of a 'Zen Master' as one could hope for and yet all in a 'Western Package'.    Striving for true understanding, practicing his arts with multiple refinements each pass, NEVER and I mean never 'tooting his own horn' but rather  just master your art.  Albert 'mastered his art' there is no question.  Let others expound if the wish on how great Albert was but he himself would not stoop to that level of self promotion.

Albert applied his technique to other hobbies besides Astronomy but from what I hear of thos other things it was always with the approach of the 'Zen Master' which I have crudely outlined.

I enjoyed his wit although only 'YAT'   'Yet another TACo' and am more than pleased he even knew my name.  My regret is I never got to know him as a true friend and many of the folks on this board have so done.

So here is a salute to a great example of how to play the 'Game of Life AND Astronomy.   I wish you peace Albert and we are all come from and then return to stardust in far less than the 'blink of a cosmic eye'.

RIP Albert Highe!

Marko

[Akarsh Simha]

It’s unfortunate that I got introduced to Albert Highe’s work only a few months ago — learning about his book on engineering portable telescopes, his in-depth explorations of galaxy clusters, then seeing several of Highe-style telescope designs at GalStar, and then Jamie Dillon and Jordan Ruyle recounting their experiences meeting Albert. Whereas he may be no more, I think his legacy will carry through generations and people will continue to know him through his work — just like Leland S Copeland or Barbara Wilson or Howie Glatter to name a few people I could recall. RIP Albert Highe.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sf-bay-tac/1549cca2-de0c-44cc-84cb-3ae4bc0b60dan%40googlegroups.com.

[Jamie Dillon, DDK]

Akarsh m'friend, I should have been more fulsome on the field last month. Need to jump up and stipulate that Johannes, the 13" you met at the Spring Binge, isn't just a Highe-style scope but the grab-n-go that Albert designed and built to take to Australia. And we did a lot more than meet, we were tight buddies for 23 years.

Here for comic relief is the write-up that Gary Seronik did in S&T on Johannes before he was Johannes.

[Jordan Ruyle]

I'm so sad to hear this news. I only met Albert a couple of years ago, but will share my experience here to add to these kind words about him.

Like many people mentioned here already, I met Albert when I started working on an ATM project. I had decided to build my own scope in 2021, wanting to move up from 6" to 12" aperture. The project was way beyond my skills at the time, in carpentry somewhat, but definitely in the engineering aspects. However, Carter Scholz, who I'd met through a mutual friend, strongly encouraged me to go for it- "You CAN do this!". Carter shared notes, photos, from his own Albert-inspired ATM projects, and also loaned me his copy of Albert's book "Engineering, Design, and Construction..."

I spare the details of the head scratching, scribbled out pages, and false starts, but after a few months of progress I ended up getting in touch with Albert for help. I was hesitant, not wanting to bother him, but just as he did with so many others on this list, Albert generously offered his help and time, inviting me to stop by to show him my mirror cell prototype. He ended up giving me a bunch of materials that he wasn't using any more- aluminum stock for the struts, threaded inserts (I was relieved to hear that he also had trouble getting those to sit evenly in the tubes!), and even some pre-cut C-channel for my mirror cell.

I only spent a couple of hours with him, but it was enough to appreciate what I'm reading from those of you who knew him well- his creativity and generosity among other things. Rest in peace, Albert.

Jordan

[Carter Scholz]

I met Albert at one of Michelle's star parties in 2005. He was first-lighting a new scope, a 13", which he subsequently took to Australia. Every part of it was designed to pass muster as carry-on luggage. (That scope is now is the capable and loving hands of Jamie Dillon.) The evening had started cloudy before clearing, and we were the only two observers on the field, so we talked, about telescope design, and astro targets, and he gave me my first look at the Horsehead. I was using a Hardin 8" dob at the time, and I left inspired to build my own scope. Michelle was an equal inspiration, both for her workshop and craftsmanship in building scopes based on Albert's three-parallel-strut design, and for her generosity in opening her house for observing.

I was fortunate to stay in touch with Albert over the years, to see him and observe with him many times, at Michelle's, at Calstars, at the first, smoky GSSP, and at the observing retreat he bought near Michelle's and christened Hidden Valley. I was fortunate to get his advice with my 12" and my 16". His own scopes were close to perfection, but he never stopped experimenting and improving on them. His low-rider 24" f/3.3 was a marvel, enabling him to sit comfortably in his wheelchair while observing at zenith.

When it came to design, he took nothing on faith. He measured and calculated and tested and confirmed. His book on Dobsonians is rich with equations and spreadsheets, quantifying things that had previously been rule-of-thumb. He went so far as to design and build and test string scopes (and write another book about them), just to prove they were not superior to truss designs.

He was a brilliant, tireless observer and a great teacher, always generous with his time and his findings. In his "birthday cluster" (Abell 426), he logged over 300 galaxies, and posted detailed notes online, as he did with other clusters and his telescope designs. I remember the first time I was trying the Deer Lick group around 7331. Albert sat behind me and guided me around the faint members by tapping their relative positions on my back.

He had one of the sharpest, most capacious, most generous minds I've known. The good humor and grace with which he faced his condition was simply a natural expression of his spirit. It ws impossible to feel sorry for Albert, or feel that he was in any way handicapped. When observing became impossible for him, he took up target shooting with the same dedication and penetrating attention. And after that he built a custom sound system that was simply amazing.

It's great to read all the tributes to this unique guy, this treasure we were all lucky enough to share time and space with, to be reminded of how many he touched and continues to touch. Thank you, Albert. Go with God.

[Alex]

Sad news indeed. Missed my chance meeting Albert in person, but his ATM book is one of the few I'm keeping and referencing periodically.

Rest in peace, Albert Highe.

-Alex

[Ido Greiman]

Sad to hear he's no longer with us.

I had the pleasure of meeting him back in 2010 during CalStar, while I was visiting here with a friend.

If memory serves me right, he had a 17.5" lowrider scope he was using, and he spent the better part of an hour explaining to me and my friend how he built it and why. 

I had no idea who he was back then, but I shared with him that I built a 3 pole telescope from a photo of one I saw online. He laughed and told me it was his design, and most likely, the photos I saw were of him and his scopes (of course, he was 100% right). 

What a small world, and what a nice person he was. May he rest in peace. 

Ido

[Greg LaFlamme]

Hi folks, long time no post to. 

It’s so nice to read everyone’s fond memories of Albert. He was HUGE to me.

Jamie has the story right. I was debuting my poor copy of a Highe design scope when I looked across the parking lot and saw a beautiful three pole telescope being assembled. However this one was different, the three poles were asymmetric! I asked him about the offset upper pole, and if it was a Highe design.. ‘twas the man himsef! I was shocked when he told me who he was. I quickly gathered myself up and hoped he couldn’t smell the fear. I showed him my scope. He was impressed that I built that from the one picture I found online of a Plettstone telescope. My learning process began that evening. What a great night for me and the start of a friendship and of course a complete redesign. Albert was determined, accurate and scientific in his approach to everything in life. He was allot,,,  and beautiful man like no one else I ever met. He straitened out my understanding of scope design and life. 

I couldn’t do the math, (poor choice of words, sorry Albert ) “wouldn’t learn the math”  but I found primitive ways of testing, achieving static and dynamic balance and so on. He actually admired Grogs primitive ways and questioned “how I figured that out“.  Then he would gently steer my ship into the correct lane. Before he started his first book, (signed copy on my coffee table) he would provide Excel sheets for me to crosscheck my work. One time over a meal, he told me “I appreciate how you are open to criticism and take it well”…. I said That’s just cuz you softened me up with that lovey lunch pal. We always had a good time and I was always learning. Having an intense conversation about a Newtonian reflector with Albert was like trying to take a sip from a fire hose. He hated the term “dobsonian” so I quickly extinguished it from my vocabulary. If you ever thought you were taking Albert to the deep end, you were wrong and he was enjoying himself.

It was fun to to sit and discuss various ways of getting the mirror closer to the ground to create a comfortable height at the eyepiece, how to predict vibration dampening and make all portions of the scope reachable from the seated position. Placing the collimation knobs on top of the lower optical assembly was is a particular favorite of mine and happened on a napkin at a restaurant. I was there. I spent a fair amount of time in his lightware R&D facility (garage) using his milling machine to create the spherical joints on my mirror cell. That mirror cell and telescope are still performing exceptionally and when I roll out that 22 inch f/3.6, it behaves as it did when I built it, smooth, Stable and mind blowing. Albert stayed with us here in the Hualapai mountains for a week, smoking ribs by day and nailing the faint fuzz at night. The man had an impressive appetite too. During the day we studied charts and planned our kill zone for the evening. Shooting ducks in a barrel was mentioned.

What I learned from Albert goes far beyond astronomy. He was extremely important to my development and came along when I needed him the most. I remember Michelle Stone predicting that a few months before I met him.

It was at my second SSP when I saw my first Plettstone telescope, a beautiful creation based on Albert’s design. Michelle put so much time, care and thought into those telescopes, they were perfect. I always hoped I would see one in person. I built my first scope based on a photo of her scope I found online and boy oh golly there it was in person! I was so excited to actually get to handle one. Michelle said, if you think my scopes are perfect, wait to you see Albert’s. Then she crossed the runway to look at my copy of her scope and said “well, you sure didn’t waste any time sanding” we became friends immediately!  She explained where the design came from and told me that I needed to meet Albert one day.  She was right and I am thankful that I did.  Mentor-

Greg LaFlamme

On Sunday, May 28, 2023 at 1:56:39 PM UTC-7 gff...@gmail.com wrote:

[Stacy Jo McDermott]

Very sad to come across this news.

We are richer for having had the honour of knowing & learning from him.

Stacy

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