>> Adam Block was seven years old
when he received a very special present for his birthday.
The gift, a toy telescope,
would have a profound impact on his life.
>> The thing that I find most interesting, right,
is that not always do childhood interests continue
into adult life, but for me, it did.
>> This brightly colored reflecting telescope came next.
It's called an Astroscan, and then Block was ready to advance.
>> I got this telescope when I was 12 or 13 years old,
and this would be the first telescope,
after some of the other small ones, that I could really look
through and see things from my driveway and, in addition,
even take pictures with.
>> Photography and astronomy made a spectacular combination.
Adam Block was on his way to a lifelong hobby and career.
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>> Over the years, after graduating from the University
of Arizona in astronomy and physics and being employed
and the U of A, Block has also become a world-renowned
astrophotographer.
>> One of the fun things that I enjoy doing is to,
when I visit a place, maybe even another country,
is to walk into a bookstore and just see
if I can find an image published in a book.
To date, I've been able to do it.
The pictures really have been published all over the world.
>> They are also finding destinations much closer
to home.
>> The infinity, the magnitude of what goes on in the stars,
in the heavens, is just wonderful.
>> When Randy and Abby Greene moved
into their new house near Tucson,
they had an office custom designed for them.
The room has space for one major work of art,
and after considering various options,
they chose a photograph from Adam Block.
>> Well, we come from New York, just outside New York City,
and you don't see as many stars, and when we moved here,
we just couldn't believe what the sky looked like.
We can see the Milky Way at night, on a clear night,
and we just thought it would be a beautiful thing,
to bring that into our house in our new home.
>> We love it.
It just, every time I look at it, I'm just excited,
both as a work of art, and as something which kind
of gives us a sense of the wonders of the skies.
>> This particular image is a really kind of subtle
but beautiful example of a combination of the nebulas.
There's both a reflection component of this nebulosity,
where the star is scattering bluish light,
as well as some clouds of hydrogen gas near some
of these other stars that are glowing
that kind of pink-red glow.
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>> I work at the University of Arizona under the Department
of Astronomy, which is Steward Observatory, and I come up here
to help support the SkyCenter telescopes
that do public outreach and some research in astronomy.
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>> Through my studies in the university, and then later,
in my professional life, I've had the opportunity to work
with much larger instruments,
and much more sophisticated pieces of equipment.
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>> But, if we were to put on this picture, kind of like the
"you are here" on the galactic map.
>> In 2007, after working
at Kitt Peak National Observatory west of Tucson,
Block approached the University of Arizona
and established the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter StarGazing program.
This event has become a popular destination in Southern Arizona,
introducing thousands of locals and visitors to the night sky.
That's where Charlie and Susan Walker met Adam Block
for the first time.
>> Come on out, honey.
The weather's great.
>> Charlie is a retired engineer who flew
on three Space Shuttle missions in the 1980s.
Susan worked in corporate communications and business,
but both are moved by the magic of the skies.
>> Adam's photography, to me, is quintessential scientific art.
I think the night skies are absolutely a magnificent
invitation to the future, and they are so compelling.
The more you look, the more you see.
The more you see, the more you want to see.
We use it as something similar to a screensaver.
>> My wife and I both think it is not only extraordinary
representation of the reality of the universe above us
and around us, but it's also a fantastic way
to introduce people to science.
>> Block says he's thrilled to be doing that.
What began as a childhood interest has flourished
with modern equipment and scientific curiosity.
>> On the box of this telescope that I received
on my seventh birthday, there was even a tagline that says,
"A hobby today, a profession tomorrow."
So, I lived up to the tagline on the box, and sure enough,
it's been my work and life ever since.
The thing that inspired me to take the pictures is that one
of my missions is to do public outreach
and share my excitement about astronomy.
In doing public presentations, I can only do that for as far
as my voice will carry, but pictures,
they have much greater reach, because once published,
they can be seen by people around the world.
So, for me, it was an obvious vehicle
to really share my excitement about astronomy
and the universe, and communicate all
of these wonderful things through astrophotography.
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