The Amateur Scientist; April 1999; Scientific American Magazine; by Carlson; 3 Page(s)

When not flying as an airline pilot, Monty Robson works to involve young people in science. Under his leadership, the Western Connecticut Chapter of the Society for Amateur Scientists has raised $50,000 toward a professional-quality telescope for a high school in New Milford. The telescope will be fully automated and connected to the Internet so that students far and wide can access everything the heavens have to offer.

Because any telescope can be ruined by rain and excessive wind, it is important to keep constant tabs on the weather. I'm designing the weather station for the automated observatory and thought I'd share with you my ideas for a cloud detector.