The Scope of Possibility: How One Rural Georgian Became a Self-Taught Astronomer

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.

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