Duane Dunkerson, the Content Manager and Writer for the Space Guy - Astronomy Briefly, has had a lifelong interest in astronomy. Back in junior high in Cheyenne they were asking him and telling him for what professions or occupations he was suited. He chose "astronomer". He doesn't recall what they told him to become.

Later, he studied astronomy and physics at the University of Iowa. Since then he has collected a BA in history from the U of I and an MA in English from the University of Northern Iowa. He has not become an astronomer. This he does not view with much regret, given that human observational/professional astronomy has been in a long decline.

He has owned a Newtonian reflector - the old 4 ¼ " Edmund variety. He has also owned a 4" Meade SC. He mostly observes nowadays with a 6" refractor and a 16" SC. An astronomy club owns both of these. What he does observe are mostly the brightest planets, the moon, and pretty doubles. He's not much into electronic observations though he appreciates amateurs and others who can enjoy such procedures. Robotic telescopes are of interest in that a desired event can be recorded when weather conditions might otherwise prevent acquiring knowledge of that event. But one cannot say, he says, that what happened was experienced astronomically. Past exploits include a candidacy for librarian of the first major amateur radio astronomy group. He also was an occultation observer and did plotting for other occultation observers. Not so long ago he was science and tech editor for Bookpages, a now defunct British Internet bookstore.

He has played in local chess tournaments and finished in the money more than once. Before marriage he rode various makes and models of motorcycles throughout the West and the more civilized regions of the S, SE, and E.

His day job is as a medical writer. Previously he did work as a research assistant in microbiology and photobiology. His is co-author on two papers soon to be published concerning high altitude immunology and spaceflight immunology.He has also been a technical writer.

He currently studies XML and Portuguese. The two are not mutually reinforcing activities. His favorite foreign country is Brazil. He would like to single-source to the max.