Astrophysicists are revered as some of the smartest people in the world. But can one be an astrophysicist without any formal education or training?

Georgian Howard Sims might say so. Sims has built a working observatory in his backyard, complete with two hand-crafted telescopes, without receiving any specialized education. The fruits of his labor were born from a simple desire to understand the sky.

 Why It’s Newsworthy: Sims is also doing all of this as an 83 year old, when there are only 92 astronomers and physicists over the age of 80 in the United States. 

 

Hannah Echols is a fourth year majoring in English and Journalism in the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia.