Osoyoos astronomer spent his life photographing the stars

One of Canada’s most renowned astronomers and amateur astrophotographers has died, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering accomplishments. Jack Newton, born John Borden Newton, passed away on Nov. 11.

Newton and his wife Alice owned and operated the Observatory Bed and Breakfast on Anarchist Mountain in Osoyoos, opening it in 1999. Newton spent his adult life fascinated by distant stars and planets, using his photography skills and state-of-the-art telescopes to capture some of the world’s most striking astronomical images.

His work appeared in Time, Newsweek and National Geographic. He is credited with inventing “cold camera astrophotography,” a technique that enhanced ground-based images of galaxies, the Sun and other celestial objects.

At their B&B, Newton frequently invited guests to observe stars and galaxies through his telescope.

Born in Winnipeg in 1942, Newton earned a diploma in business administration from Red River College and worked as a store manager for Sears Canada and Marks and Spencer. He became interested in astronomy at age 12 and joined the Winnipeg Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). In 1969, he built a 32-centimetre telescope and observatory in his backyard, continuing astrophotography studies with the Winnipeg Centre, where he served as president from 1970 to 1972.

His work took him to Toronto in 1973, where he began testing film types for astrophotography, experimenting with cooled emulsions and gas-soaked films. This research led to his 1974 book, Astro Photography: From Film to Infinity. He later served as president of the Toronto Centre of RASC from 1975 to 1977 and continued research that contributed to the 1997 publication of An Introduction to CCD Astronomy and Deep Sky Objects: A Photographic Guide for the Amateur.

In 1979, Newton moved to Victoria, joining the Victoria Centre of RASC and serving as president in 1980–81 and 1990–91. Widely respected as a speaker, author and educator, he inspired countless amateur astronomers.

From 2000 to 2023, Newton and Alice operated their Observatory Bed and Breakfast in Osoyoos, offering morning and night sky tours using a 41-centimetre Meade LX200 telescope. The couple co-founded the Arizona Sky Village, an astronomy-focused community in Portal, Arizona.

Newton was a member of a Harvard University team allocated time on the Hubble Space Telescope in 2010, becoming the first Canadian to use Hubble as an investigator. The study focused on a supernova named 20100 in the colliding galaxy pair NGC 3690/Arp 299.

He wrote short papers for the RASC, and his contributions earned numerous honours. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal in 1977 and was elected a Life Member of the RASC in 1978. The Victoria RASC created an annual service award in his honour. He received honorary membership in the Astronomical League in 2006 and was named a discoverer of three supernovae in 2015.

Newton was a longtime member of the Puckett Observatory World Supernova Search Team, which logged 376 discoveries and co-discoveries between 1994 and 2018. He helped establish the astronomy program at Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, donating a 64-centimetre Newtonian telescope he assembled himself—one of the largest privately owned telescopes in Canada.

He led solar eclipse expeditions to Mexico, Nunavut, Poland, Indonesia and California. In 1986, he guided 300 amateur astronomers to Peru to observe Halley’s Comet.

Newton is the subject of the 2023 documentary Jack Newton’s Journey to the Stars, which includes interviews and explores his innovations in telescope and camera technology.

His solar images appeared in National Geographic’s 2004 special edition Exploring Space – The Universe in Pictures, as well as Life – The Year in Pictures (2003, 2004) and Sky & Telescope’s Beautiful Universe (2004). His photography also appeared in the Audubon Field Guide to the Night Sky and Terence Dickinson’s Nightwatch. With Dickinson, Newton co-wrote Splendors of the Universe (1997).

A tribute on the Nunes-Pottinger Funeral Service page honoured Newton’s extraordinary life. “The astronomical community, and indeed the world, has lost one of its brightest luminaries,” it read. Remarking on the vivid auroras that followed his passing, it added, “Jack knew how to make an entrance and he certainly knew how to make a breathtaking exit! We suspect that it was his way of saying goodbye on his journey to the stars.”

The tribute recalled that “By age 16, he was already lecturing at RASC meetings on the subject he would passionately pursue for the rest of his life.” While working in retail, “his true calling was written in the stars.” It praised him as a pioneer who “re-defined the boundaries of amateur astronomy,” popularizing cold camera techniques and becoming the first amateur to create full-colour CCD images of deep-sky objects in 1991.

“His images were not just technically brilliant; they were art,” the tribute continued, noting how he revealed “the cosmos’s poetry to the untrained eye.” His images reached millions and inspired a generation.

As part of the Puckett team, he earned respect with more than 200 supernova discoveries. His achievements led to the “unprecedented honour” of being the first Canadian amateur granted Hubble observing time.

Newton also helped launch Project Astro through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. His accolades included the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, the Amateur Achievement Award, and RASC’s Chant Medal and Ken Chilton Prize. An asteroid—30840 Jackalice—was named after him and Alice.

“With Alice at his side, he shared his telescopes, his knowledge, and his boundless enthusiasm,” the tribute said. “Thus Jack’s greatest legacy is undoubtedly his impact on the many thousands of people whom he inspired.”

Newton is survived by Alice, his children Suzanne and Rob, four grandchildren—Liz, Tyler, Alexandra and Everette—and a global community of admirers. Alice expressed gratitude to the care team at McKinney Place “for embracing Jack and providing not only wonderful care, but compassion and friendship far beyond the pale.”

Jack chose cremation, and the family suggests donations to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada or the International Dark-Sky Association. A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring to honour “a man who didn’t just photograph the stars; he made us all feel like we could touch them.”

“Rest among them now, dear Jack. The sky is a little brighter for you having been here.”

— This story was originally published by the Penticton Herald