About 

Shevill Mathers has been a keen amateur astronomer / telescope and camera builder in the UK since the early 60’s, with a special interest in astrophotography. A member of the BAA, London (Lunar Section), his photographic expertise was greatly encouraged by Patrick Moore, with whom he has maintained a lasting friendship. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1968.

During the mid 60’s he published the results of his work developing full aperture aluminised optical filters for solar observing and photography. Article published in the British Astronomical Association.Journal 1966. He has applied his medical science background and tertiary qualifications in scientific, electron & light photomicrography and X-Ray imaging techniques, to astronomy with much success over the years. He enjoys using his skills to maintain a ‘cutting edge’ interest in astro imaging and its associated equipment. This is a good foil to his histopathology and forensic science related work. As a part time retinal angiographer, he has maintained a keen interest in new digital technologies, some of which he can apply to his astroimaging.

Examples of his photography can be seen in books by Patrick Moore, as well as numerous astronomical publications. During the early 70’s in Tasmania he produced a photographic star atlas of the southern skies, which was joint project with the late Walter Pennell (UK); Walter visited Shevill over several years at his first Southern Cross Observatory near Hobart.

Shevill moved to Tasmania & Joined the Astronomical Society of Tasmania in April 1968 and became its 10^th president in 1970. He was again elected president in 2000. He also took on the role of Editor of the Bulletin and was responsible for its new pre-printed cover artwork in colour design and format, a bi-monthly 32-page A5 printed publication, which replaced the traditional photocopied stapled half dozen A4 pages.He has been involved (as an amateur) with the University of Tasmania’s Mt Canopus observatory complex since early 1968, in the days of the first 16” telescope and Dr Michael Waterworth.

In the late 80’s he began developing video systems for observing & imaging astronomy use. Since 2000 he has employed his special video camera systems on the Mt Canopus 16” as well as his own telescopes - both on the sun as well as night sky objects, to great advantage on public open days /nights. His video technology is very useful in his various ongoing astronomy outreach projects.

In 2000, Shevill became a contributing editor in SKY & SPACE magazine with his regular “Moonlighting” column, and in 2005 became an Associate Editor of the ‘New’ SKY & SPACE Magazine, Australia’s Premier magazine for southern observers. http://www.skyandspace.com.au/public/home.ehtml

His regular column is now augmented by a wide range of articles including ATM articles, Astro News items and Activities from Tasmania as well as reviewing a wide range of astronomical equipment.

At the 21^st National Australian Convention Amateur Astronomers, held in Hobart, Tasmania, Shevill presented two separate well illustrated papers / workshops and extensive equipment displays related to video applications in astronomy, featuring deep sky imaging, solar and All Sky (day & night), in real time, the main features of his work at his Southern Cross Observatory. His first N.A.C.C.A presentation was in WA in 1972 - re his first observatory & photographic work.

In 2005, after 5 years as AST president & editor, Shevill stepped down to be able to spend more time writing and developing various projects, both work related and astronomical imaging / technology and telescope building. His final task as president was to initiate the weekly “Hands-On” Observing nights at Mt Canopus, which is proving to be a great success.

He enjoys a relaxed lifestyle with his partner, Gaye and their pet’s and 1966 Mark 2 Jaguar, on a 5-acre rural property with dark skies just 12 km from Hobart and close to the Mt Canopus Observatory. His current 4-metre rotating observatory, built in the late 90’s now houses a wide range of telescopes of various types and sizes from a homebuilt fork mounted Newtonian 12” f/5 (soon to be replaced by a 16” f/4.5 Newtonian (homebuilt) incorporating many unique features which are used mainly for astro imaging using film, digital, cooled CCD, web cams, and a wide variety of video systems. He also has some mobile and semi portable telescopes on EQ mounts. Another smaller observatory is under construction, called the 'OctaDome' of his own design. A good machine workshop and video / electronic studio adds to the ease of production of new or modified equipment. The main observatory instruments will be remotely controlled from a room in the house, some 50 metres away.

Over the past few years he has added to his solar imaging equipment which now includes the only Baader Planetarium Mark IV Coronograph (H-alpha prominence telescope) in Australasia as well as a modern Baader Herschel Wedge (white light), on a William Optics Megrez 90 APO refractor and a Coronado 40 mm Solarmax filter unit on a William Optics Megrez 80SD. A Coronado PST to double stack the 40 mm Solarmax unit completes the solar equipment. Images from these instruments appear in various magazines and Internet forums.

He is a regular contributor to various magazines including SKY & SPACE, Tasmania 40 Degrees South, Leatherwood On-Line, Discover Tasmania, Quasar Publishing ‘Astronomy Yearbook’, Universe Today and various overseas scientific forums. He is a local media source for TV, radio and the print media. His aim is to popularise astronomy within the general community and to develop video astronomy techniques still further. He is a member of the AST (founded in 1934, only two members have ever been elected president twice, Shevill Mathers & Martin George.

Contact:Shevill dot Mathers @ SkyandSpace dot com dot au

Southern Cross Observatory