OCA member John Hoot will go over the progress that has been made over the past 5 years in understanding the most numerous members of our solar system and the substantial contribution amateurs have made to the field.

John E. Hoot. Mr. Hoot is president and founder of Software Systems Consulting, an engineering design firm specializing in computerized robotics, instrumentation and signal processing. He is a graduate electrical and computer engineer (University of Michigan '74) and has been an avid amateur astronomer for over 45 years.

Among his accomplishments are the design and development of the Meade Autostar telescope controllers, several commercial CCD imagers and autoguiders. He is also the designer and builder of the Hoot-Vega Radio Telescope in Benson Arizona. An active observer from his automated observatory, his interests include astro imaging, photometry, astrometry, spectroscopy, radio astronomy, automated data collection and analysis.