David Lee Summers and the NEID spectrograph

A couple of weeks ago I made a post about exo planets. My blogger friend and Astronomer David Lee Summers stopped by and mentioned that investigating exo planets was his day job. He is working with the NASA-funded NEID spectrometer. He also happens to be an author of several science fiction books and scifi-horror books. Below is the front cover of one of his books. This is a reblog of one of his posts regarding NEID spectrometer. Head over there and check it out.

Weighing Planets

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Finally, I am also posting my Amazon review of the Astronomer’s Crypt (see below) as well as Amazon’s description of the book.

Amazon’s Description of The Astronomer’s Crypt

Two years ago on a stormy night, in the dead of winter, Mike Teter experienced something that would change his life forever. Mike was a telescope operator at the world renowned Carson Peak Observatory in New Mexico. We won’t tell you what he saw that night on the mountain nor what happened afterward on a dark stretch of highway, because it would haunt you just as it has haunted Mike. But what we will tell you is that Mike is back at Carson Peak. And what he witnessed that night two years ago is about to become a reality…

My Review of The Astronomer’s Crypt

To visit a more complete description of this book click here.

An Intense and Fun Horror Thriller Taking Place in an Astronomical Observatory

The protagonist Mike Teter is a telescope operator at a fictitious observatory in New Mexico, the Carson Peak observatory. The Carson Peak observatory features two large buildings hosting a 5-meter and a 2.5-meter telescope. It is located on sacred land adjacent to an Apache reservation. There are caves nearby that host ancient sacred artifacts that should not be removed from the caves. The observatory is a labyrinthine and dangerous place that appears to be haunted. There are long corridors and hidden rooms. The observatory has a history of deadly accidents. For example, a Dr. Burroughs and a graduate student had been killed there.

One day Mike has what seems to be hallucinations. A large ancient evil creature looking like a mix of a dinosaur and a bird appears before him, and he encounters a talking coyote that gives him a warning about the sacred portals, he sees the ghost of Dr. Burroughs, and he witnesses the gruesome death of his friend the Astronomer Dr. Wallerstein. He’s had enough and he quit his job only to return to it at a later time. He thought that the things he saw were just nerves. However, this time things really go amiss. A creepy but wealthy lawyer by name of Mr. Vassago is trying to acquire sacred artifacts. There are drug cartel thugs, greedy adventurers, freak accidents, severe storms, hostage situations, ghosts, and ancient evil monsters. Mike Teter is faced with a very complicated and nightmarish situation.

The story is action packed, suspenseful and features a lot of plot twists. The characters are well-developed, relatable and multi-layered. The observatory is realistically described, and it is obvious that the author is very familiar with astronomical observatories. As you read this book you will learn something about observatories as well as the job of telescope operators. The author skillfully creates a chilling scenery of a dark haunted observatory, which brought my imagination to the spaceship in the movie Alien. It is obvious that the author is highly intelligent. A lot of things happened in just a few pages, and it was difficult to put the book down. It is one of the most intense and fun horror thrillers I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it.

About David Lee Summers

David also edited Tales of the Talisman Magazine for ten years. When he’s not writing, he operates telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory.

To see the Super Facts click here

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