Tristan Mentz is an event planner and amateur astronomer in the greater DC metro area. Tristan first became interested in astronomy as a child growing up in Florida witnessing Space Shuttle launches. He now spends his free time hunting Messier objects in his telescope and brushing up on his astrophotography skills. His number one personal goal is to one day travel to the moon - to walk on its surface, see the stars from the far side, and gaze back on Earth suspended in the infinite vastness of the cosmos