Amateur Astronomer Pedals his Way Toward the August 2017 Solar Ecl...

Amateur Astronomer Pedals his Way Toward the August 2017 Solar Eclipse

Amateur astronomer Gary Parkerson is spreading the word about the August 2017 coast-to-coast solar eclipse on a big bike equipped with a solar telescope mount as part of The Pedaling Astronomer Project.

If you see a slight fellow on a husky bicycle travelling the two-lane backroads heading west from Kansas (originating from Shreveport, Louisiana) with an astronomical telescope mount on the back rack, say Hi.

Gary Parkerson biked into Hutchinson on Tuesday evening on his bike, the “Big Surly.” The 62-year-old “Pedaling Astronomer” had already come 2,400 miles since he set out in May. However, his quest to bike through the lower 48 states in 16 months is far from over.

Parkerson is riding his bike from Shrevepor to Los Angeles, Calif., and documenting experiences using a solar telescope to photograph the sun. Parkerson is the managing editor for Astronomy Technology Today, an on-line magazine about astronomical equipment.

The extended frame of Parkerson’s bike isn’t like most. The bike is laden with several bags of supplies, but its most distinguishing feature is the mount on the back of the bike, which can hold a telescope.

“In full astro-lab mode it (the bike) weighs about 140 pounds, and that’s what I weigh,” Parkerson said.

As far as Parkerson knows, his telescope is the only fully functional one mounted on a bike – that is, until it broke. Parkerson said the bumpiness of the bike caused a mirror inside the telescope to break, but a new one is waiting for him down the road.

Parkerson’s journey across the country is fueled by his excitement for an upcoming solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. As he goes, he tells everyone he meets about the eclipse and gives them specially darkened glasses that can be used to look directly at the sun.

The eclipse is the only coast-to-coast eclipse in the last 99 years, and it will only be seen in the U.S.

Parkerson began his journey in his home state of Louisiana in May. Since then, he has made his way through Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.

The strange-looking bike with the attached telescope draws many people to him and allows him to share his love of astronomy.