Summer 2025
Summer 2025
By Ginger Wentrcek
Members of the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club whose work was displayed at the Benjamin Knox Gallery are all active participants in the club. In the photo above, they are listed from left to right as follows: Mike Holmes, Mark Spearman, Lee Smith, Ginger Wentrcek, James Dire, and Randy Light. Tim Logan, who was out of state on business, is not pictured.
Mr. Benjamin Knox
A short biography and an artist statement that reflected their personal journey with astronomy and their unique perspectives on observing and capturing celestial objects within the solar system and beyond was displayed with each group of artists' images. Read each of their statements below.
The members of the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club wish to thank Mr. Benjamin Knox for the generous use of his gallery. With beautiful photos on the walls, the use of his building provided a venue for the community to share the joy and wonder that we call our Universe. Thank you, Mr. Knox, for your kindness.
We also wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to our spouses. Their unwavering support and assistance made the evening truly special. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the group photo of participants and their spouses.
Benjamin Knox Gallery
Location:405 University Drive E., College Station
Visit the Benjamin Knox Gallery
Brief Artist Bio
Mark Spearman, PhD, is the founder of Factory Physics, Inc. and a former professor and Department Head of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University. Mark, along with two uncles and a local contractor, built the Regina Caelorum (Queen of the Heavens) Observatory in 2002 in Robertson County. Mark uses the Observatory to measure the brightness of variable stars, exoplanets, and supernovae in distant galaxies, providing more than 700 observations to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) since 2014. Mark is the current President of the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club. He and his wife, Blair, live in Wheelock and have been married for 41 years. They have three children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandson.
Artist Statement
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," writes Keats, and the heavens are indeed beautiful. As the
Psalmist says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows forth his handiwork." Contemplating these things and seeing how they are ordered brings one closer to God.
Brief Artist Bio
Randall Light, MD, is a medical neurologist who practiced in Bryan and College Station for 32 years. He has been an avid photographer since 1979 and began studying astrophotography after retiring in 2013. He has won awards for his photography and astrophotography. He is a member of the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club. He and his wife, Irene, have been married for 50 years. They have three children and fourteen grandchildren.
Artist Statement
Astrophotography combines my passion for photography with my awe of the natural beauty of the night sky. It is the tool I use to artistically share the amazing beauty to be found just beyond the reach of the naked eye. It merges my need for both faith and scientific understanding of these celestial mysteries.
Brief Artist Bio
Lee Smith is a retired military and civilian pilot. From Houston, Texas, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. In his twenty-two-year Air Force career, Colonel Smith flew the F-4 Phantom and A-10 Warthog during four overseas tours and a combat assignment in Iraq. Retiring from the Air Force in 1994, he flew a Boeing 737 as a civilian pilot for Southwest Airlines. He retired in 2014 after a 42-year career as a professional pilot. He logged 18,000 flying hours, over 3100 in jet fighters with 200 hours of combat time.
Lee is a member and officer in the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club. He is married to the former Jill Stimson. Together they have five children and nine grandchildren. They reside in Lexington, Texas.
Artist Statement
When I joined the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club in early 2021, my knowledge of astronomy was limited to my undergraduate study of Orbital Mechanics during the late 1960s. With the help and guidance of club members, I am now able to appreciate and capture the beauty and majesty of the night sky. Astrophotography allows me to share the awe and wonder I feel each time I see these images.
Brief Artist Bio
Ginger Wentrcek is a sixth-generation Texan, born and raised in Bryan-College Station. She is a Texas A&M graduate, a retired public-school principal, and currently owns a small website design company. Her love for nature photography soon expanded to include an interest in photographing the Moon, Sun, and other astronomical bodies, with the Milky Way being her favorite subject. She is a member and officer in the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club. Ginger has been married to her husband, Ernie, for 57 years, and they have one daughter and four grandchildren.
Artist Statement
From our home, Earth, life seems static and stationary, secure in our planet's orbit around the Sun with other planets and moons in our solar system. In reality, Earth and its home, the Milky Way Solar System, are traveling through the universe at speeds that are difficult to comprehend. It is only when night falls that we catch a glimpse of the enormity of the universe, where we become a speck among exoplanets, suns, solar systems, and nebulae, the interstellar building blocks of gas and dust. I often wonder: if the light we see from our Sun takes eight light minutes to reach us, and the twinkling light from distant stars takes millions, and possibly billions, of years to reach us, how many of the stars we see in the night sky no longer exist, but their light is still traveling to Earth. And, conversely, how many unknown stars exist whose light has yet to reach us, and, in their place in our night sky, there is only darkness.
Brief Artist Bio
Mike Holmes, a lifelong photographer, got his start at age 12 with a 35mm camera gifted by his grandfather. He is a semi-retired Electrical Engineer whose career focused on designing electronics and software systems for industrial and energy applications. In 2019, he turned his attention skyward and began practicing astrophotography—a natural extension of his lifelong passion for science, technology, and photography.
Drawing on decades of technical expertise, Mike captures deep space objects with a blend of precision and creative vision, revealing detail and structure far beyond the reach of the naked eye. He is a member of the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club and enjoys exploring the night sky alongside fellow enthusiasts. Mike and his wife have been married for 47 years and have two children and four grandchildren.
Artist Statement
Astrophotography allows me to capture and share the beauty of the universe that lies just beyond our vision. With modest equipment and careful technique, it's possible to reveal incredible detail and structure hidden in the night sky—things that would otherwise remain unseen.
An often-overlooked aspect is that the real artistry happens during the processing of many images, often captured over a period of several nights for a single object. Transforming hundreds of individual exposures—usually taken through different filters and optics—into a finished image requires both technical skill and personal vision. The result reflects not just the science behind the data, but also the unique perspective of the astrophotographer.
For me, this process is both a technical pursuit and a creative outlet—one that bridges my curiosity about how the universe works with a deeper sense of wonder at its natural beauty.
Brief Artist Bio
Tim Logan is an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University and does lightning research. Tim is an avid storm chaser and has documented many types of rare lightning as well as co-discovered the current world's record lightning flash using his Houston Lightning Mapping Array detection sensor network.
Artist Statement
I joined the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club over two years ago. The communication and collaboration with all in the club has greatly enhanced my lightning photography skills and gave me a deeper appreciation for astrophotography. I inherited a 10-inch Meade LX200GPS telescope from a retiring professor. The club members were helpful in turning me into an enthusiast as a result. I took a picture of the Milky Way at a friend's house in San Angelo hoping to get lightning pictures from a nearby storm. The storm dissipated and left behind a clear sky and I took advantage of the opportunity.
Brief Artist Bio
James Dire earned a PhD at The Johns Hopkins University, where he studied astrophysics and organic chemistry. Since 2009, he has penned the Deep-Sky Objects column in the Reflector magazine, which contains many of his space images. His 2024 book, “Exploring the Universe – A Practical Guide for Hobbyists,” takes readers through the heavens with narrated astro-images, all of which he took.
Membership
The Brazos Valley Astronomy Club welcomes people of all skill levels, whether you’re a seasoned astronomer or just starting out.
Click the button below to visit the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club website and discover how to join and become a member.
Left to right: Colleen and Mike Holmes, Mark and Blair Spearman, Jill and Lee Smith,
Ernie and Ginger Wentrcek, James Dire, Randy and Irene Light
About the Author: Ginger Wentrcek
Ginger is a member of the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club and is the current webmaster, newsletter editor, and secretary.
FIND US ON THE WEB:
www.brazosvalleyastronomyclub.org
© Brazos Valley Astronomy Club
Newsletter Editor: Ginger Wentrcek
MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS:
brazosvalleyac@gmail.com
Treasurer - Lee Smith