Photographer focuses interest on deep space

Kirk Baird

Monday, July 31, 2000 | 8 a.m.

What: "Exploring the Night Sky Over Southern Nevada."

When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Where: Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, 700 Twin Lakes Drive, on the west side of Lorenzi Park.

Cost: $2 for adults; free for anyone under 18.

Information: Call 486-5205.

John H. Mowbray: Lawyer by day, astrophotographer by night.

OK, it's not a transformation along the same lines of Clark Kent to Superman, but there's no denying the dichotomy at work here.

Going from reading legal briefs and attending hearings -- as a partner in the law firm Morse and Mowbray -- to staring up at the far reaches of space and taking photos of various celestial objects is quite a switch.

But for Mowbray, it's been an easy transition -- it's also a welcome one.

"(Astrophotography has) broadened my horizons," the 49-year-old Mowbray, a lifelong local resident, said. "There are a lot of times I get caught up in my profession. This is an opportunity to step back and get a grasp of the bigger picture."

A collection of those pictures are on display at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society in an exhibit titled "Exploring the Night Sky Over Southern Nevada."

Ranging from an otherworldly shot of Venus and Jupiter above Red Rock Canyon -- his favorite, incidentally -- to a striking photo of the Hale-Bopp comet nestled between a cloud formation, also over Red Rock, the exhibit is a nice primer into astrophotography.

It's also a collection Mowbray is visibly proud of, especially as he looks on as a husband and wife stop to admire his handiwork.

They stop and point at a series of photos of the sun as well as some of Hale-Bopp. Mowbray, however, sits quietly on a chair nearby, never drawing attention to himself, preferring, instead, to let his work speak for him.

When asked if he enjoyed witnessing viewer reaction to his photographs, he smiled and said yes, adding that he likes the fact that people are interested in the universe and that he sees this as a way to increase interest and educate people about astronomy.

But as much as astrophotography benefits others, Mowbray said that it benefits himself. For example, having to develop the patience and persistence to stand for hours in the middle of nowhere, focusing all his attention on one object, taking a hundred photos and having only one turn out.

"If you go out there thinking this isn't worth the effort, you never get (the photos)," Mowbray said.

But to Mowbray, it is worth the effort. And this isn't the first time he's gone to great lengths to do it.

His fascination with taking photos of faraway objects began as a young boy in Henderson. Mowbray, who is the son of late Nevada Supreme Court Justice John Mowbray, said that he'd build model rockets and attach cameras to take photos of the ground from high in the sky. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, he said. Nonetheless, his efforts were successful enough that he made a darkroom out of a bathroom at home so he could develop the photos himself.

It was during this time, in the early '60s, that Mowbray began to develop an interest in astronomy. It was while out of town on a Boy Scout camp-out, away from the harsh lights, that he really began to take notice of the night sky.

"Looking up at the stars, I couldn't tell where one constellation began and another one ended," he said. He was hooked.

Then in college in the '70s, Mowbray took an astronomy course, believing it would be an easy A, when in fact it proved to be more difficult. Despite the rigors of the course, his fascination with the universe only continued to grow.

So in 1991 when his wife, Sue, bought him a telescope, Mowbray jumped at the opportunity to further gaze into the heavens. After seeing Jupiter the first night he used the equipment, Mowbray longed to record what he'd seen -- if only for posterity.

He decided to take up astrophotography and a new hobby was born, to the tune of many weekends and thousands of miles to get out of range of the glaring Las Vegas lights. In addition, Mowbray did research on the Internet into the special kind of photography and read books on the subject.

His equipment is easy: A 10-, 12- and 14-inch telescope hooked up to a camera, an older Canon F-1, for distant shots and eclipses; and a 50-mm lens for photos of comets, as well as stars and planets in the horizon.

"There's really no excuse of not getting out and taking photos of these events," he said. "Even with a 50-mm lens, that comes with (many) cameras and a tripod, you can capture some very special moments."

Although taking photos of celestial objects is not as popular as some types of photography, Mowbray said there are plenty of other astrophotographers in the state -- including some who are world-renowned. He said that although it's probably just a coincidence that there's a group of them here, the fact that Nevada is a prime place to take the photos doesn't hurt.

"We're blessed with relatively low humidity and those who want to do deep-sky stuff can get in their car and it may be a couple hours' drive," he said.

Mowbray, who serves as an instructor for the lab portion of an astronomy course at Community College of Southern Nevada's Cheyenne Campus, said that he hopes others will take up the art as well. To further that end, he, along with fellow instructor Robert Pippin, incorporate astrophotography projects into their classes, in which 20 to 22 students participate in each semester.

The idea, he said, is to help the students appreciate and develop a love of astronomy. "It's a great beginning to help them to formulate tools so that they can begin to study and understand the dynamics of the universe," Mowbray said.

Meanwhile Mowbray said he will continue to make the drives to lonely stretches of land where the bright lights of Las Vegas serve to help illuminate the landscape, but not to outshine the heavens above.

For example: to shoot Comet Linear, the celestial event of the moment, which is too dim to be seen with the un-aided eye.

Perhaps because of this "invisible" comet, it's easy to understand Mowbray's motive for taking up astrophotography: "To memorialize these events for the benefit of those who weren't able to see them."