Luke Pearson, founder of Jupiter's Moons charity.

I grew up in Horwich, Bolton, with a family on benefits.  I understand what it is like to struggle. Astronomy is an expensive hobby, and I made many mistakes. These mistakes cost me a lot. I don't want people falling into the same traps I did. 

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I had my first telescope when I was 13. This was a cheap, "junk telescope" and I used it from my bedroom, without even opening the window. A classic and unforgiving mistake. However, I knew I could do better. When I was 14 I upgraded to a Celestron travelscope 70, then the Orion 100mm, then an Orion Starblast 6, and then at university I blew through a Skywatcher 250p and a Celestron 4se. Eventually, I settled with the Celestron C8, a very capable instrument. This has been a 10 year journey which has taken me all the way through secondary school, college and university.

 

I don't claim to be the best in the business, but I have learnt many lessons that I want to pass on to beginners. I have set up this charity to help children and beginner astronomers start their journeys. I also believe these communities we create will help fight other issues, such as the cost of living and social isolation, by bringing communities together with a shared goal: To learn.

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My current goal focuses on Horwich and local areas. However as we grow, I intend to take this across Bolton and begin steady expansions. I have named my charity Jupiter's Moons for a reason. I want to build a system of community's, each with an observatory named after a moon of Jupiter. Getting to this point will take time and kind donations. If you are able, please consider donating what you can, to help us get kids and the public interested in science and astronomy. All donations will go directly towards buying equipment for schools, funding local groups like the Scouts, and saving for our observatories. Thank you for your support. If you are wondering what we can help achieve at our Greater Manchester astronomy charity, just take a look at my own progress below!

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Luke Pearson

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