Chasing Stars for a Lifetime — Ready to Help You Do the Same
I grew up chasing the night sky across three continents — born in the UK, raised under the wide skies of Australia, and now settled in the hill country of Central Texas, where I run Windmill Observatory in Liberty Hill.
I've been doing this a long time. Over the years, I've worked with just about every imaging system and optic you're likely to show up with — Celestron, Meade, Orion, William Optics refractors, Canon and Nikon DSLRs, dedicated astronomy cameras from ZWO and Dwarflab. If you've got it, I've probably used it.
I've taught astrophotography and astronomy at the Eagle Eye Observatory, Canyon of the Eagles in Burnet, Texas — one of the better dark-sky sites in Texas — and have run telescope clinics for beginners at several venues around Central Texas and Australia. I have always aimed to leave my students both knowledgeable of the night sky and in complete awe of the cosmos. I’ve also won an AAPOD - Amateur Astronomy Photo of the Day - with an image I acquired of the occultation of the Moon and Venus in June 2026, being recognized among the best amateur astronomy images on the internet.
As a semi-professional photographer, my photos have been published by organizations including:
As the night sky is precious to me, I'm quite vocal about dark sky preservation. I've been involved in advocacy efforts in Liberty Hill and Lampasas County and am a member of the International Dark-Sky Association. Good astronomy requires good skies, and I take that seriously.
On the broader education and outreach side, I'm a member of Astronomers Without Borders, The Planetary Society, and SETI — organizations that reflect a belief that astronomy is bigger than any one backyard or community.
By day, I work in software and IT, which means I keep a close eye on where technology is headed — including how AI is starting to change what's possible (and what’s undesirable) in astrophotography. My students tend to leave not just with better images, but with a clearer sense of where the craft is going.
Sincerely - please drop me a line if astrophotography interests you. I’d be more than happy to help get you on your journey to the cosmos.
See some of my work here.
Reviews from Astronomy and Astrophotography Classes
"I had the pleasure of working with Phil at Canyon of the Eagles, where he serves as the resident astronomer. Phil is not only a passionate astronomer but also a highly talented photographer with an incredible eye for detail. He has a gift for sharing his knowledge, whether teaching groups of up to 30 guests or offering personalized 1:1 sessions. Phil's open-mindedness and creativity shine through in initiatives like hosting astrophotography workshops, combining his skills to create unforgettable experiences. Whenever Phil led a group, his enthusiasm was contagious, inspiring awe and curiosity in everyone he taught."
- Dylan Barahona Eagle Eye Observatory & Canyon of the Eagles General Manager
“Phil is an exceptionally knowledgeable astronomer and photographer. During one of our astrophotography sessions in Liberty Hill, he introduced me to the Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope and walked me through its capabilities — I ordered one on the spot. Once it arrived, Phil provided hands-on guidance to get me started and has continued to offer support whenever I've had questions. His deep understanding of the equipment, combined with his extensive knowledge of astronomy, has been invaluable. After just a few sessions applying what he taught me, I was capturing images I never imagined I could produce on my own.”
- Nils Andresen Austin, Texas.
“Phil has been a great help to me in my astronomy and astrophotography journey. I reached out to my local dark sky group, and they put me in touch with Phil. He patiently emailed back and forth with me as I asked questions about my what to purchase for my first astrophotography rig. After I came across some issues that I wasnt able to find an answer to, Phil was gracious enough to come out and help me diagnose my problem, and enabled me to get out and take some amazing images thanks to his help. He's also given me pointers on post processing which have been very helpful. I've had nothing but positive interactions with him!”
- Josiah Burzynski Lampasas, Texas
"We had a great time visiting the small Eagle Eye Observatory in the Canyon of the Eagles. The astronomer there, Phil, was very knowledgeable and made the explanations of the different stars and star clusters that we saw there very interesting. We even got to see a bunch of meteors from the residual Orionid meteor shower serendipitously."
- Krishnan Panamalai Murali Local Guide • 48 reviews • 11 photos ★★★★★ a month ago (Google Review)
"Fantastic experience! We were fortunate it was a clear night and Phil was very kind and accommodating. As an astronomer who has conducted thousands of star parties over the years, I know these events take a lot of support and effort. I would love to see this type of activity get more of a following. Thank you again for a fun evening."
- Gabriel Segura 3 reviews • 3 photos ★★★★★ a year ago (Google Review)
"Open air astronomy masterclass by a pro with the night sky as your screen. Great experience for kids and adults alike."
- S Ram Local Guide • 147 reviews • 95 photos ★★★★★ 11 months ago (Google Review)
"I could have stayed all night. The Australian Astronomer (I forget his name) was our guide and was super informative and fun! Within 10 minutes of being there we saw the ISS fly over and MANY satellites. I was also able to get a picture of Saturn with one of there telescopes and my phone. Super neat for me and the family!"
- James 6 reviews ★★★★★ 2 years ago (Google review)
Laurie Ostroff - School Liaison
Laurie has over 28 years of experience as a teach in various school districts in Central Texas, including Austin, Burnet, Pflugerville and Round Rock. Laurie serves as our school liasion, reaching out to schools for telescope donation organization and making sure they get the most out of that donation. Laurie also volunteers at Safe in Austin!