Scott Kardel, Palomar Observatory's first full-time person dedicated to education and public outreach, will give us a close look at the Palomar Observatory's adaptive optics laser guide star system, and the renewed fight against light pollution.

Mr Kardel hails from the great state of Arizona where he was raised in Tucson in the shadows of several great observatories. He was an active amateur astronomer as a teenager and studied science education in college.

After a nine year career as a high school science teacher, he finished a masters degree in Astronomy from the University of Arizona and then moved on to an observatory that you likely have never heard of - the Lake Afton Public Observatory in Wichita, Kansas.

Scott was the assistant director there for ten years before moving on to Caltech's Palomar Observatory. He is currently working on explaining how Palomar's astronomers study the universe, working to curb the growth of light pollution, and creating a vigorous public outreach program.

For more information, please see: http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/.