A superb writer, photographer, and naturalist, Stephen James O'Meara is author of several highly acclaimed books, including others in the celebrated Deep-Sky Companions series. O'Meara earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University and is well known among the astronomical community for his engaging and informative writing style and his remarkable skills as a visual observer. O'Meara spent much of his early career on the editorial staff of Sky and Telescope before joining Astronomy magazine as its Secret Sky columnist and a contributing editor. Among his many achievements, he was the first to sight Halley's Comet on its 1985 return and the first person to determine the rotation period of the distant planet Uranus. One of his most distinguished feats was the visual detection of the mysterious spokes in Saturn's B-ring before spacecraft imaged them. O'Meara has been honored with several awards, including the prestigious Lone Star Gazer Award for 'advancing astronomy through observation, writing, and promotion, and for sharing his love of the sky', and the Caroline Herschel Award for his planetary discoveries. The International Astronomical Union renamed asteroid 3637 O'Meara in his honor. O'Meara is also a contract photographer/videographer for National Geographic Creative.