Robert Holmes

Robert Holmes is a faculty member at Eastern Illinois University and the director of the Astronomical Research Institute located near Charleston, Illinois where he works for NASA in Near Earth Object observations on a full-time basis.  Over the past 6 years, Holmes has been the leader in both total numbers of observations and has made the largest number of faint NEO observations with many to magnitude 23.6.  Since 2006 Holmes has made over 50,000 near-Earth object measures and is second in the world to the LINEAR sky survey in total observations.

He is currently completing a 50 inch telescope which will be the worlds largest privately owned research grade instrument which will be operational in the fall of 2012.  At his observatory complex there are two additional telescopes, a 24 inch and a 30 inch which are also used for near-Earth object observations as well as education and public outreach programs.

Lighting Ordinances

Yes-  I worked with the city council for lighting ordinances for the city of Charleston, IL in 2006 and for the town of Westfield in the fall of 2009.  Both communities have adopted ordinances which restrict lighting that would harm the night sky.  Unfortunately I was not as successful with Eastern Illinois University where I am a faculty member.  EIU is located on the south side of Charleston that they have some of the worse lighting and has made the observatory on campus nearly unusable.