Ashley Northcotte is the co-manages the very popular astronomy YouTube channel Astrobackyard as well as Astrobackyard.com.  Ashley also is a major advocate for the protection of the night sky through DarkSky International, working to reduce light pollution and raise awareness of its impacts on the environment, human health, public safety, and energy use. 

Corey Lee is the CEO of Celestron LLC, a company that he has served for over 22 years, starting as a full-time engineer in 2003. Throughout his journey through the ranks of the company, Corey gained both the experience and respect of his organization. His leadership in the field of astronomy and importance to our community is second to none.

Dr. Niel Brandt is a world-renowned astrophysicist and Distinguished Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Pennsylvania State University in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics. His main areas of research include active galaxies and quasars, cosmological X-ray and multiwavelength surveys, and high-energy astrophysics. 

Since 1999 he has been using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission-Newton to study the physics, evolution, and ecology of active galaxies and other cosmic X-ray sources. He also utilizes data from a variety of other projects, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and in the future he plans to study active galaxies with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).

Do you have a telescope made within the last 30 years? Odds are that Eric Kopit has had some role in it's design. Eric has spent his entire career making his mark on telescopes from popular brands including Orion and Celestron telescopes. His ability to see through the current trends and towards future design needs has made him a legend in the amateur astronomy community. 

Filippo Bradaschia is the CEO of PrimaLuceLab, 

Fraser Cain is the host of the well known Astronomy Cast podcast and the founder of Universe Today. Fraser's work over the years has become a staple of objective and well curated information about the pulse of the astronomy community and the scientific status quo. When astronomy news breaks, Fraser is usually one of the first to get the word out.

Gordon Telepun is a solar eclipse chaser who has made a name for himself with the extremely popular Solar Eclipse Timer app that was discovered by so many during the 2017 and 2024 Total Solar Eclipses in the United States. I personally used this software to ensure that I was conducting a safe solar observing, knowing when it was safe to remove my solar glasses, and when I needed to put them back on. Gordon has also written an book that walks you through the day of a total solar eclipse in chronological order. It outlines what to do at each step along the way, ensuring you do not miss a single thing when every second counts!

Joel Sercel is the visionary founder and CEO of TransAstra, a company dedicated toward engineering the future of space. TransAstra has many steps in it's plan. First and foremost, they are planning to play a large role in providing telescopes for space situational awareness. Moving forward, they plan to launch space-based telescope arrays with the goal of locating, categorizing asteroids with the goal to capture and mine asteroids in the future. In the short term, their technology may also aid in the disposal of space junk and provide a sort of "tow truck" for defunct satellites in orbit that can be placed into space-based "junk yards" to be processed for their resources at a later time.

Kevin LeGore is a Product Specialist at Celestron LLC and owner of Focus Astronomy Outreach. Kevin is probably one of the most people in the world when it comes to doing public astronomy outreach. Kevin's experience is unparallelled. 

Mark Zook is the CEO of Stoltzfus Structures, an Amish built shed company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Stoltzfus Structures produces the Stargazer Shed, a roll-off roof astronomical observatory. This product is one that I have personally had experience with. With my April 2026 podcast episode, I share the news that Stoltzfus Structures will be attending NEAF for the first time in 2026, and will be making their debut with a full-size Stargazer shed on the NEAF floor!

Check out the Stargazer Shed: https://www.mysheds.com/outdoor-retreats/star-gazer-sheds

Richard Wright is a software developer that has made his mark in the software that runs many of our amateur astrophotography equipment. Richard's background in this realm started as a hobby, but throughout the years he has worked both directly within the industry as well as through contract work. Richard is always one of the best people to predict the future of amateur astronomy. 

A science educator for two decades, Rob teaches Physics, Astronomy, STEM, Gifted, and runs a school planetarium.  He finds his passion for science communication via public outreach and the explorations of his young son.  His channel, the Last Minute Astronomer, “brings astronomy to normies and nerds with little time to spare.”

Ron "AstroDoc" Brecher is one of the astronomy community's PixInsight experts. Ron spends his free time imaging in his own backyard, playing his guitar, and teaching others about the amazing hobby of astrophotography. 

Scott Tucker is an experienced astrophotographer and team member at Starizona, a Tuscon Arizona astronomy shop that specializes in outfitting telescopes with "FaStar" systems with Starizona "Hyperstar" optics that uses the prime focus of a schmidt cassegrain style telescopes to achieve blazingly fast F/2 focal ratios. These precision optics are first class equipment that requires high precision engineering that Starizona does so well. 

Steve Koenig is an experienced astrophotographer and team member at Starizona, a Tuscon Arizona astronomy shop that specializes in outfitting telescopes with "FaStar" systems with Starizona "Hyperstar" optics that uses the prime focus of a schmidt cassegrain style telescopes to achieve blazingly fast F/2 focal ratios. These precision optics are first class equipment that requires high precision engineering that Starizona does so well. 

Tom Bramwell is the US Director of Operations for PrimaLuceLab.