Priest’s leisure time is “written in the stars”

by Samantha Schommer

Looking at the sky, we see a plethora of stars, nebulae, and planets that are just out of reach. There is something about the unknown that intrigues us to know all of the answers. However, Fr. Eugene Brown, a retired priest of the Diocese of New Ulm, doesn’t look for answers. Instead, he takes in the spectacular wonder that the Lord has provided.

"I am amazed at how big the universe is…I see astronomy as a prayer to reflect on the greatness of the universe," Fr. Brown said.

As the chaplain at Divine Providence Health Center in Ivanhoe, Fr. Brown keeps busy, but he takes the time to step back and take a look at the universe in a way that most people cannot - through a telescope.

There are three types of telescopes: reflectors, which use mirrors; refractors, which use lenses; and Schmidt-Cassegrains, which use a combination of the two. Fr. Brown owns a Schmidt-Cassegrain type, a LX200R Meade telescope. It has a 14 inch diameter primary mirror and stands about six feet high on the tripod and equatorial wedge. Telescopes are measured, not by power, but by the diameter of the primary lens or mirror.

"People often think of refractor telescopes, the long and narrow ones, when they think of telescopes, but there are more varieties than just that," he stated.

Father has always been interested in astronomy and the universe, but he never pursued his interest until last spring, when he bought the telescope. With the help of a local carpenter, an observatory shed was built near Ivanhoe.

The observatory has a retractable roof that is easy enough for one person to move.

"It’s a really nice, dark spot on a hill with no trees, lights, or buildings," Brown said, "On a clear night you can see a lot of stars, including the Milky Way."

Fr. Brown also enjoys photography and is able to exercise this passion with his telescope by taking pictures of the moon, stars, nebulae, and planets. He also does what is called a "piggyback," where a camera is put on top of the telescope. When the camera is "piggybacked," the motor of the telescope keeps the desired object in the center of the field of view.

To take long exposures of celestial bodies, the telescope must be aligned with the celestial pole and set at 44.5 degrees north latitude in order to keep up with the rotation of the Earth.

"The telescope that I have is called a GoTo telescope because once it is aligned, all you have to do is scroll down the data base of 147,000 sky objects—planets, stars, star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae—and pick what you want to view and the telescope slews to it," he said.

The best time to view depends on what you want to see, but Father is mostly at his observatory shortly after dark. He gets out two or three times a week, if he is lucky.

"Minnesota and South Dakota aren’t the best places for amateur astronomers because we have so many cloudy nights, but I try to get out as much as I can," he stated.

"This will be the first winter that I have the observatory, so we’ll see how much I can be out there in cold weather."

Before he took delivery of the telescope, Father Brown read up on astronomy and the different types of telescopes and features. He increased his knowledge but still has a lot to learn about this fascinating hobby.

Astronomy has provided this retired priest with an outlet to reflect and meditate on the wonder of the universe that our Lord has provided us with.

Samantha Schommer is a Junior at Holy Trinity High School, Winsted, daughter of Pat and Lisa Schammer, a Diocesan Youth Council member and an active member of TEC. She will be contributing a series of articles on pastoral leaders and their

hobbies in upcoming issues of The Prairie Catholic.