Legally blind astronomer from Yarmouth visits Hawaii volcano summit to operate telescope
QUINAN, YARMOUTH COUNTY, NS — When Tim Doucette — a legally blind amateur astronomer from the small community of Quinan, Yarmouth County — got the chance to check a dream experience off his bucket list, he really soared to new heights.
It included a trip to Hawaii, a trip to the top of a dormant volcano, and seeing and operating what was once the largest telescope in the world.
Standing under the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, Doucette stretched out his arms in awe and amazement.
And yet his reach was not big enough.
This world-class infrared optical telescope is 3.6 meters wide and about six stories high.
Trip of a lifetime
The telescope is located near the summit of Mauna Kea — a dormant volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island that stands nearly 14,000 feet above sea level and more than 10,000 feet from the bottom of the ocean floor to the summit. It is known as the highest seamount in the world, from the base to the top.
Although it is the tallest, it is not the largest. That distinction falls on its massive neighbor Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth. Mauna Loa erupted on November 27, 2022, an eruption that lasted 12 days and the first since 1984.
If the stars aligned, Doucette could have been on the Big Island of Hawaii when that happened. Once his trip was focused on November.
He had said to his wife last fall, “It would be so great if we could go there and when we leave the volcano will erupt because that’s another one of my bucket lists – to see a volcano erupt”, he says, adding with a laugh, “but from a little distance.”
Instead, the trip took place this spring in April.
Even without a volcanic eruption it was the most amazing experience.
“It was just incredible,” says Doucette. “Being above the clouds at 14,000 feet is like being in heaven.”
‘Like you’re in heaven’
Mauna Kea’s observatory is home to numerous massive telescopes, piloted by astronomers from all over the world.
The location is spectacular.
“About a hundred feet before you get to the telescopes, you’re in the clouds. And then all of a sudden – BOOM! – you are above the clouds,” describes Doucette. “From below, where it is almost 30 degrees, it is minus 2 degrees above. There is snow everywhere and you can see the tops of the volcanoes.”
Doucette made the trip to Hawaii with his wife Amanda, but he also made the trip with a film crew who were making a French documentary about his life and his passion for astronomy.
The documentary was made by Mélanie Léger of Bellefeuille Production.
Some of the filming took place in New Brunswick last year, including two nights of star parties in Fundy National Park. The film crew also took him to his old stew in Moncton.
“We had the first observatory there. I had people come once a month,” he says.
While these shots were taking place, Doucette tossed out the “wouldn’t it be great” suggestion to go to Mauna Kea to see the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope.
He was joking.
But others took his suggestion very seriously.
Not long after, he received an email from the film’s producer saying they would like to send him to Hawaii.
Doucette couldn’t believe it.
Great night vision
Aside from his passion for astronomy, Doucette’s story is remarkable considering that he is legally blind and has only about 10 percent of his eyesight.
He was almost completely blind for the first year of his life due to cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye. When he was in his teens – and he had already had many eye surgeries – the lenses were removed from both his eyes because cataracts had returned.
Interestingly, this opened up new opportunities.
Doucette eventually discovered that removing the lenses allowed him to see things most of us can’t, leading him to focus even more on astronomy.
While as a child he looked through a telescope, could barely see anything, as an adult it is just the opposite.
It was while stargazing with a friend that Doucette’s skill really came into focus. Looking through a telescope, his friend asked him, “What do you see?”
“I described it to him. I see a little donut with two little dots. It looks like a pool of water. He says, ‘Wait a minute! Can you see that with this telescope? It’s not big enough.’”
Only for Doucette though.
It turns out that Doucette’s eyes are more sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum without lenses. His retina interprets things differently than if he could see perfectly.
On that particular day, he saw the Ring Nebula.
“It was two stars in the center that I saw with that telescope — a cloud of gas and dust lit by the surrounding stars,” he says.
“The normal person would see the ring, and with a telescope powerful enough, they would see one dot. But me, my vision interpreted it as the two dots I saw — stars emitting high-energy hydro-ultraviolet light and lighting it up as a puddle of water.
It’s his extraordinary night vision that also led to the documentary, which in turn led to his trek to Hawaii.
‘A dream come true’
“It was great to go into the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope and have the chance to see this. When it was built – it started in 1973 when I was born – it was the largest optical telescope in the world.”
Now it’s “kind of a mediocre telescope,” says Doucette.
Still no less impressive.
“I had the opportunity to spend time in the control center and take pictures with the telescope. I spent three hours with the controllers, met with the local astronomers. It was like a dream come true,” he says.
At his house in Quinan, Doucette operates the Deep Sky Eye Observatory.
Its mission is to take visitors on a journey through the cosmos. To inspire people to look at the stars. To give people a better understanding of the universe.
People can book these experiences through the observatory’s website deepskyeye.com. Doucette has hosted numerous nightly events. He has also contributed to people’s experiences by introducing accommodations with cabin and air bubbles on site.
He also works hard to spread awareness and education about dark skies, noting that many of his visitors have never been able to gaze at the night sky due to light pollution.
Light pollution certainly wasn’t a problem at the top of Mauna Kea, although it was admittedly tricky to get there, Doucette says.
The first attempt failed due to the weather. You will also need a four-by-four vehicle to travel.
You also have to acclimate to being that high because there is less oxygen.
“The air is thin,” says Doucette, who says it’s important to move more slowly. Your concentration and motor skills are also affected.
“In the end, we first spent a few hours in the visitor center to acclimatize. That high altitude does play a role,” he says. “It plays havoc on your system. Above that there is 40 percent less air.”
Another major difference in Hawaii is that because you’re closer to the equator, the sun sets faster.
A software engineer by day, one of the things Doucette likes most about astronomy as a hobby is that whether you offer the experience or enjoy the experience, the night sky is for everyone from all walks of life.
“For me, the most interesting part is sharing the night sky and getting people involved,” he says, grateful for his recent experience.
“I always wanted to see that telescope. I never in my life thought I would get the chance to actually visit it, control it, make an image of it,” he says.
“I am now forever archived in the archives of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.”
LEARN MORE
You can learn more about the Deep Sky Eye Observatory by visiting:
• It’s the website: deepskyeye.com
• It’s Facebook page: Deep Sky Eye Observatory
For more information on the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope visit his website by clicking here.
THE DOCUMENTARY
The French documentary made by Mélanie Léger of Bellefeuille Production premiered on TV on June 3 on AMI-Télé. It can be streamed online at https://www.amitele.ca/…/media/des-etoiles-plein-les-yeux
Singer/songwriter Jacques Surette was also inspired by a visit to the Deep Sky Eye Observatory and composed this song during the filming of the documentary.
