Lenny Abbey, 74: Self-taught astronomer ‘did real science’

Lenny Abbey had the self-taught know-how that made him an astronomer to be taken seriously. He was a nearly lifelong observer of the heavens. He wrote articles and lectured about stars, planets and the history of celestial discovery. All he lacked was an academic degree in the subject.

As a fellow astronomy devotee, Alex Langoussis of Acworth, put it, “Lenny may have been an amateur, but he did real science.”

Abbey got interested in astronomy in the 1960s as a Decatur High School student, often visiting Agnes Scott College’s Bradley Observatory and working with its longtime director, the late Bill Calder. The current director, Chris DePree, said that when he took the post in the 1990s, Abbey was a valuable resource on the observatory’s history.

“Lenny also was a bridge between amateur and professional astronomers,” DePree said. “Amateur astronomers in this part of the country, like Lenny, are quite talented. The amateur-hour connotation doesn’t apply to them.”

Leonard Broughton Abbey Jr., 74, of Atlanta died Dec. 14 at Piedmont Hospital of blood clot complications. In observance of his wishes, no service is planned. A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

In 1970 Abbey became a Fellow of Britain’s Royal Astronomical Society “in recognition of his body of work,” according to Richard Jakiel, president of the Atlanta Astronomy Club. He added that Abbey held each of the club’s officer posts more than once.

“Lenny was a fantastic contributor to our club,” said Pixie Bruner of Lithia Springs, the AAC’s recording secretary. “He was our go-to guy on early cutting-edge astro-photographic equipment, an unparalleled authority on astronomy history, a debunker of dubious science — and he set up a website for us.”

Abbey also was a member of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, which honored him in 2007 for his more than 50 years of service to the AAVSO. The association said it appreciated his numerous star observations and the software packages he created that are used by hundreds of observers and researchers worldwide.

One of his software creations enabled users to gauge the precise position of the sun and moon at a given time of the day at any point on the globe, simply by entering the time in question and a specific longitude and latitude.

Larry Abbey of Tucker said his brother sold several of these software units to moviemakers who found it helpful in filming on location. “That way,” he said, “they would know, for instance, exactly when to film the sun rising over a church steeple.”

Abbey attended Emory University and Georgia Tech, studying physics at both schools. He worked for Diebold Inc. during the 1970s and 1980s, managing its film laboratory. In that capacity he processed photographs recorded by Diebold-installed equipment showing bank robberies in progress.

“Lenny was called to testify as a witness for the prosecution in a number of criminal cases because of that,” said his wife, Eugenia Abbey. “He told me that in scanning all those photos he felt he had developed a sixth sense for spotting suspicious characters.”