My name is Paolo Nicosia.  I was lost in Space the moment I was born, but there's no need for a rescue mission, as I likes it there.  But I also love the planet I landed on, and through astrophotography I've found a way to wander through both.  Once upon a time I thought of becoming a professional astronomer, but ended up working on other geeky things and kept the cosmos as "just" a passion.  Phew!

I grew up abroad and lived under pristine skies and stifling urban light domes, in deserts and in rain forests.  I've always looked up, and I love spending time behind a telescope, but my most recent discovery is toward the horizon, in the beauty of Earth's landscapes in near total darkness.  I'm now working to up my game in nightscape astrophotography, and through CDARC I hope to exchange what I've learned with fellow night travellers.  

I was born Italian and moved to the US for college, and have lived in the Bay Area for over 25 years.  By trade I'm an IT professional, working on the backoffice and networking side for the US branch of pioneering German optics manufacturer Carl Zeiss.  I live in Albany with my moon-loving wife, two daughters, various foster dogs and arguably too many telescopes.  I love living in Northern California, a place where the Earth and the Universe find places to merge, sometimes, in ways that only those willing to step into the darkness get to savor.