Sudbury, Ont. father-son duo share a years-long passion for the skies and homemade telescopes

Some of the best hobbies in life are the ones you can share.

Steve Dodson and his son Patrick share many nights together gazing up at the sky in Sudbury and looking at everything from stars, the moon, to far-away nebulae and galaxies through a homemade telescope.

For Steve, his passion for astronomy began when he was in Grade 2 after a teacher handed him a pamphlet with images of space. He said it instantly sparked his imagination.

"I thought, man, that stuff is out there and we can see it," said Steve. 

"I've got to learn more about that and I've got to show everybody I can what's out there."

It didn't take long for him to share his hobby with Patrick, introducing his son to the wonders of the sky before the age of four.

"I think it's awesome. I mean, we've obviously bonded over it and we're so grateful for it," said Patrick.

Steve said his hobby has taken him to places like California and the Arctic to chase eclipses and the midnight sun.

Steve is a founding member of the Sudbury Astronomy Club and he and Patrick are both members of the Springfield Telescope Makers of Springfield, Vermont.

Patrick has built his own telescope which the pair now use to view the sky, explaining the benefits the telescope provides are worth the hard work it took to build it.

Morning North7:29Father and son pair in Sudbury share a passion for astronomy

Some of the best hobbies are the ones you can share. Our hobby column features a father and son who both share a love for astronomy. They spoke about their passion with the CBC's Warren Schlote.

"It can be long. It can be frustrating, no lie," Patrick said. 

"But when you really get down into it, it can actually be a very satisfying experience because I've actually also built my own mirror that's inside this telescope."

One of the coolest things Patrick says he's seen over the years through the telescope are star clusters. 

"When you see them in nice detail through a telescope that you like, that you've made yourself for one thing, it really captures something that you didn't know you had the experience of actual starlight," he said.