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Chad Ellington's parents played a big part in nurturing any interests he and his brother had. The boys engaged in numerous activities outdoors and stargazing became something to do on their camping trips. One of Chad's favorite childhood memories is when his father woke the boys in the middle of the night to view a lunar eclipse. Chad was full of questions and luckily his father was able to answer all questions to his satisfaction. The family began going to monthly meetings of the South Florida Amateur Astronomer's Association together and subscribed to various astronomy magazines.
Years later when Halley's Comet was all the rage, Chad saved up his allowance to purchase a Criterion (Bausch & Lomb) 4" SCT to get a better look at it and everything else in the sky. He still owns this telescope and uses it for viewing the Sun.
Chad recalls spending many, many nights with star charts in the driveway searching for various objects and Halley's Comet. He was so excited upon finally finding it, that he dragged his whole family out to see the faint fuzzball. Weeks later, the family drove out to the middle of the Evergaldes on Alligator Alley to get a better look under darker skies.
In Chad's freshman year of high school, he photographed the 1986 October 3 partial solar eclipse from south Florida.
His love of astronomy has always been with him and inspires him to share this interest with others.
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