Michael E. Bakich

I have been fascinated with the stars all my life. My cosmic journey began in the third grade, when my parents bought me a set of constellation flash cards. After I memorized the facts on the cards, I pestered my mother endlessly to test me. One day, she asked, “Why don’t you go out tonight and try to find one of these figures in the sky?” Here was something I hadn’t considered. So, the next clear night, out I went, and TA-DA! I was successful. From that moment, my goal was to become an astronomer. I realized that goal in 1975, when I graduated with a B. S. in astronomy from the Ohio State University. At that time, however, jobs in science fields were few and far between. So, rather than continuing on a research-oriented track, I attended Michigan State University, where I received an M. A. in planetarium education (one of only six such degrees ever awarded) in 1977. In essence, I chose to become a public relations advocate for science. After college, I worked in seven planetaria, holding jobs ranging from technician to director. I later served as a consultant in the planetarium field. I joined Astronomy magazine in February 2003. As Senior Editor, I have authored more than 100 stories and edited hundreds more. As Photo Editor, I curate all astronomical images from contributors and help other editors select appropriate images for stories. I also write, blog, and star in videos for our popular website, Astronomy.com. Probably because of my experience lecturing in planetaria, I have the appeal, style, and knowledge to be sought after as a “tour guide” to eclipses, sky events, and historical astronomy sites. I’ve conducted tours to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, to several space shuttle launches, and aboard a cruise ship to see the 1986 appearance of Halley’s Comet from Tahiti. I also have led a group to South Africa to observe the 2004 transit of Venus, and have headed up total eclipse expeditions to Mexico, Peru, Tahiti, Europe, Russia, China, Easter Island, Australia, and elsewhere. In the late 1980s, I began to research the claim that humans were changing Earth’s overall climate. Initially, it was to inform me enough to answer questions from friends and the public, everything from, “Are our factories and cars really going to destroy Earth?” and “How much of this talk about global warming is real?” With every answer, I stressed the science behind what I was saying, and I never strayed into political or economic arguments. As Sergeant Joe Friday said on the television show Dragnet, “All we know are the facts, ma’am.” In my spare time, I enjoy woodworking, science-fiction movies, and book collecting. This last passion has led me to amass more than four hundred 19th-century, first-edition astronomy books — one of the largest private collections anywhere. I also enjoy observing celestial objects through a variety of telescopes. I have logged thousands of hours at the eyepiece. I live in Milwaukee with my wife of 20 years, Holley, who has earned degrees in fine arts and interior design.