Gregory Leonard (pictured above middle), a senior research specialist at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, recently paid the newly formed Elkins Park Skywatchers Club a visit.
Skywatchers is the brainchild of Hector Ybe (above left), owner of Elkins Nutrition and an astronomy enthusiast who regularly hosts observation nights for community residents. The club hosts “stargazing nights, sky tours, family-friendly activities, and special events for meteor showers, moon viewings, and more,” according to Ybe.
Leonard’s father and stepmother live a stone’s throw away in Elkins Park. He was headed to dinner at La Piovra restaurant (7901 High School Road) when he noticed a professional-looking telescope through the window of an adjacent shop.
“La Piovra is our favorite restaurant, and I was intrigued by the telescope. I went over to find out more after dinner, and that’s when I met Hector,” Leonard told Glenside Local. “It was a serendipitous meetup. He’s so enthusiastic and engaged about astronomy. I shared what I do, and he briefed me on his plans for Skywatchers. We basically geeked out on astronomy for that hour.”
Leonard isn’t just a researcher—he’s also the discoverer of a comet, aptly named Comet Leonard. In early January of 2021, he spotted a fuzzy patch of light with a tail through his 1.5-meter telescope.
“The fact that the tail showed up in those images was remarkable, considering that the comet was about 465 million miles out at that point, about the same distance as Jupiter,” he said in an article published by the University of Arizona.
Leonard says his day-to-day involves the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey project, which discovers and tracks near-earth asteroids, “the kinds that could impact earth and cause damage. It’s planetary defense.”
He expects to visit Elkins Park again in 2026 and will make a point to drop by and see Hector, Elkins Nutrition, and the Skywatchers Club.
“There’s a good chance that we could collaborate on some things,” he said. “He’s doing great work to advance people’s knowledge of astronomy in the area. My hat’s off to him.”
Ybe says the pleasure was all his.
“Mr. Leonard is an amazing guy. He was like a superstar for me to be honest. We already knew of him because of his work with the comet,” Ybe said. “He came to us in the middle of the full moon during Skywatchers’ first meeting. It was an amazing coincidence for me. He told us about all of his contributions to astronomy, including the comet that he discovered. I loved being able to welcome this type of person for our first meeting and to the community. We now have more connections because of him, and he invited us to Arizona in order to check out his telescope and his observatory. It’s going to be an experience.”
Ybe said the next Skywatchers’ meeting will be either January 3 or 4, and he’s presently working with Bill Salvatore of Cheltenham Township in order to use High School Park for future meetings.
“I’d also like to certify the park as a NASA-designated location for observation,” Ybe said. “We’re in the application process right now. It’s a complex application with background checks.”
Jason Barnhart (above right), an Elkins Park resident, fellow astronomy hobbyist, and a full-time K-12 substitute teacher with Cheltenham schools, happened to be at the first Skywatchers meeting as well.
“It was very cool, a great moment of happenstance,” he said. “Skywatchers is a small, nerdy group, which is more or less how astronomers fare. It’s such a small circle when you’re into it, so it’s not uncommon to run into people like Mr. Leonard. I speak with NASA scientists once a month. I went home and emailed a couple of my scientific acquaintances, they all know each other. They’re amongst us. He’s accomplished and affable. It was great to pick his brain.”
Barnhart also noted his involvement with NASA SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).
“SETI’s mission is to help outreach from NASA. It grows by sharing. It’s is made up of passionate amateurs, and NASA is good at fostering community. The coolest thing for me has been to have serious professional scientists include me in what they’re doing,” he said.
For more on the Skywatchers Club, you can follow Elkins Nutrition’s Facebook page. To become a member, you can fill out this form.
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Photos: Hector Ybe