A software developer for Medavie Blue Cross by day and an amateur astronomer by night, Tim, a native of Quinan just outside of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, has been interested in astronomy since childhood. He had his first telescope by age 12, but being born with vision problems impacted his dreams in an understandably negative way.
"I'm legally blind," says Tim. "I was born with congenital cataracts. As I grew up I had an interest in astronomy but because I realized at a young age that I wasn't going to be able to drive a car so there was very little chance I was ever going to go into space, I put it aside."
Fast forward a number of years and when he and his wife, Amanda, and son Alex moved to Moncton, Amanda thought he might enjoy astronomy and gifted him with a telescope. That re-awakened his former passion "and that's where the journey started again."
Surgery on his eyes as a teen left him extremely sensitive to light (he wears dark glasses over his regular glasses even on cloudy days), but he made an awesome discovery when looking through a telescope at night.
"Looking up at the Milky Way was like a curtain had been opened. It's amazing actually .... I can see higher in the spectrum of ultraviolet. The guys (fellow astronomers) quickly realized that I could see more than they could through a telescope. (They said) you shouldn't be able to see that (incredible observation) through that size telescope."
A member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, New Brunswick Centre, up until recently he was this province's national rep. He worked extensively with the national office on behalf of the NB Centre, which hold educational events and "star parties" to which the public is always invited.
Amateur astronomers can spend a little or a lot on their hobby, but Tim says a "good-sized" telescope of decent quality will cost between $300 and $400.
Some astronomy aficionados even build their own, and there are mirror-making seminars to help accomplish that. Tim's main interest in astronomy is photography (www.deepskyeye.com) and he continues to add to his fascinating image bank.
Astronomy has improved his life "a lot" and he gets to share it with some "incredible people," like writer David Levy with whom Tim and Amanda star-gazed last Fall in Vale, Arizona. Tim's been to many exotic locations. Coincidentally, his home village of Quinan, Nova Scotia "is one of the darkest sky sites in North America" and therefore ideal for star gazing.
Before astronomy Tim enjoyed building video games. Self-descried as reserved he has shown by example that he's "not afraid to tackle anything," including freelance writing. He encourages others, especially those with handicaps to "not be afraid to go for what you enjoy. Find a way."He also encourages us to "gaze up at the sky", and like Tim Doucette, perhaps find a "peaceful, relaxing" hobby.