John O'Neal has been an avid AMATEUR ASTRONOMER and astrophotographer for over 40 years. In 2007 he built a home observatory and began imaging the sun. In 2012 he, (along with Pamela & Randy Shivak) co-founded a social media site for solar imagers which has grown to include over 24,000 members worldwide and offers up to the minute amateur and pro images and news of our closest star from around the globe.

John is a NASA Solar System Ambassador, an EXPLORE ALLIANCE Ambassador and a longtime member of and contributor to ALPO and the AAVSO. His images can be found on his numerous websites, including MASA, ASTROBIN, PHOTOGRAPHING SPACE.com, YOUTUBE, FLICKR and on the SOLARACTIVITY FB site. (See the Social Media LINKS Tabs above.)

John is also an EXPLORE ALLIANCE AMBASSADOR. Since retiring he travels around the US giving presentations to raise awareness of amateur astronomy and to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math (STEAM) values in our youth as well as in the adults whose sphere of influence reach these future leaders of tomorrow. To further this goal he also writes tutorials and astronomical articles for popular astronomy ezines & magazines and has recently been named Contributing Editor of Amateur Astronomy Magazine. He has been imaging the stars, planets, comets, DSO’s, nebulae and our natural world for over 5 decades now and is currently displaying a collection of his lunar images at the Catawba Science Center’s 50th Anniversary of the first Manned Moon Landing Gallery in Hickory, NC. 

John & his lovely wife Dorothy reside on a partially wooded 5 acre ranch with their 3 fur babies in suburban Statesville, North Carolina where they are active members of several astronomy clubs and have done countless hours of public outreach annually since they retired in 2016. On this site you'll find some highlights and day-to-day pictures and the interesting stories behind them.