We Are the Dark Rangers...
Meet the Family
Dark Ranger Telescope Tours is a small family business dedicated to improving science literacy, building enthusiasm for humanity becoming a space-faring civilization, and heightening awareness about the importance of protecting natural darkness, for its myriad of values, against the malignancy of light pollution. We further these goals through public presentations and tours of the sky using telescopes. Our observatory, The Dark Ranger Observatory, is located just outside Bryce Canyon National Park, in Utah. Not only do we have one of the largest collections of BIG telescopes in the 4-corners region (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado), we also have nearly a century of collective stargazing experience. Above all, and as our Trip Advisor reviews attest, we pride ourselves in being entertaining, educational, and energetic hosts.
We are the Dark Rangers® of Dark Ranger Telescope Tours -- a family who scopes together, and mopes NEVER!
We are the Dark Rangers® of Dark Ranger Telescope Tours -- a family who scopes together, and mopes NEVER!
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Kevin "The Dark Ranger" Poe Title: Head Dark Ranger
Education: Utah State University, Forestry B.S. & Recreation Resource Mgmt. B.S. with minors in : Geology, Biology, Wildlife Mgmt, & Anthropology. Years of Astronomy Experience: 22 Skills: Owner, night sky advocacy, astronomy skills instructor presenter, scope operator, education outreach, webmaster, PV, constellation lore, heavy equipment, astrophotography Favorite Telescope: Moby The Improbable Sperm Whale: 12.5" Meade Newtonian on equatorial mount with rotation ring Favorite Constellation: Coma Berenices because it's the only constellation named for a real person / historic event. Favorite Telescope Object: Pluto because even though it should be classified as an asteroid, it has more H20 than all of Earth. Favorite Sci-Fi Character: Teal'C |
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Richard "Star Geezer" Blake Title: Volunteer Dark Ranger
Education: East Texas State University, English B.A. Years of Astronomy Experience: 45 Skills: Presenter, scope operator, astrophotographer Favorite Telescope: Wowbagger: 7" F8 wooden refractor on Meade LDX 650 mount Favorite Constellation: Scorpius because the ancient version looks exactly like what it is supposed to be. Favorite Telescope Object: Markarian's Chain (M84 etc) because you can see 7 galaxies in the same eyepiece. Favorite Sci-Fi Character: Arthur Dent |
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Jaxton "They Adopted Me" MaeZ Title: Dark Ranger
Education: Southern Utah University: Double major in Math & Physics Years of Astronomy Experience: 10 Skills: Presenter, astrophotography, scope operator, model rocketry Favorite Telescope: Hyperion: 8" Meade SCT on Celestron CGEM II mount Favorite Constellation: Scorpius because it actually looks like what it's named for. Favorite Telescope Object: Ring Nebulae (M57) Because it's the first deep space object I found on my own. Favorite Sci-Fi Character: HAL 9000 |
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Ray "Rocket Man" Poe Title: Dark Ranger
Education: Utah State University: Double major in Geology & Wildlife Mgmt. Years of Astronomy Experience: 10 Skills: Astrophotography, presenter, scope operator, model rocketry Favorite Telescope: Fenchurch: Televue 101mm refractor on a Losmandy G8 mount Favorite Constellation: Leo because the historic version looks exactly like a lion -- but with horse legs. Favorite Telescope Object: The Orion Nebulae because you can see real color even in small telescope. Favorite Sci-Fi Character: Baby Yoda |
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Seth "That Oughta Hold" Poe Title: Dark Ranger
Education: Davis Technical College Years of Astronomy Experience: 10 Skills: Welding, metal work, scope operator, presenter, model rocktery Favorite Telescope: Deep Thought: 14" Celestron SCT on CGE Pro mount. Favorite Constellation: Pegasus because he looks like like a flying horse especially when you also know draw in the his wings. Favorite Telescope Object: Beehive cluster (M44) because it has lots of main-sequence stars like Sol and at least 2 have planets! Favorite Sci-Fi Character: Takeshi Kovocs |
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Logan "Ear buds" Poe Title: Dark Ranger
Education: Davis High School Years of Astronomy Experience: 10 Skills: Presenter, scope operator, heavy equipment, model rocketry Favorite Telescope: Total Perspective Vortex (TPV): 20" Starmaster Dobsonian Favorite Constellation: Ursa Major because it's the most useful for navigation. Favorite Telescope Object: The double star Alberio because it has the best color in the sky. Favorite Sci-Fi Character: Commander Shepard |
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Jan "mostly Diurnal" Stock Title: Dark Ranger
Education: Utah State University, Forestry B.S. Years of Astronomy Experience: 4 Skills: Scope operator, editor Favorite Telescope: Which ever one somebody else sets up for me. :-) Favorite Constellation: Scorpius because it's the most beautiful constellation and it's chasing that brute Orion. Favorite Telescope Object: Sol, because I don't have to stay up late to see it. What can I say? I'm diurnal! Favorite SciFi Character: Jean Luc Picard |
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Paul "Professor Photo" Ricketts Title: Guest Astronomer
Education: University of Utah, Astrophysics B.S. Years of Astronomy Experience: 24 Skills: Telescope & observatory maintenance, astrophotography, education outreach, presenter, scope operator Favorite Telescope: Hubble Space Telescope Favorite Constellation: None of them, because I make up my own constellations, the "real" ones are made up anyway. Favorite Telescope Object: Gingerbread Man Cluster (M6) because it a good example of a badly named object -- butterfly cluster?! Favorite Sci-Fi Character: Special Agent Fox Mulder |
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Shelby "6 White Horses" Stock Title: Guest Astronomer
Education: University of Utah, Political Science and Physics Years of Astronomy Experience: 5 Skills: Night sky advocacy, scope operator, education outreach, Favorite Telescope: 11" Celestron Nexstar GPS SCT Favorite Constellation: Orion, because he's a reminder that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Favorite Telescope Object: Saturn because it's a crowd-pleaser and because I don't need a goto scope find it! :-) Favorite SciFi Character: Yoda |
