Scott Wayne Roberts, born in 1959, has spent a lifetime at the intersection of design, technology, and the human instinct to look up. Scott’s work in optical instruments is only part of the story. What defines his path is a steady commitment to making the night sky approachable, understandable, and personal for anyone willing to take a moment to see it.

Since 1980, Scott has helped place telescopes and precision optics into the hands of enthusiasts around the world. But his focus has never been limited to the instruments themselves. Again and again, he has worked to create opportunities for people to gather, to learn, and to experience astronomy together. Through events, presentations, and ongoing outreach, Scott has approached his work not as a transaction, but as an invitation.

Step through that invitation, and the sky changes. It is no longer distant. It becomes something you can engage with, question, and carry with you.

Scott continues to advocate for astronomy and space exploration as something that belongs to everyone. Not as an abstract science, but as a direct experience—one that connects people to the universe and to each other.

Explore Scientific

In 2008, at an Astronomical League conference, Scott founded Explore Scientific, LLC. This was not a return to the industry so much as a continuation of a much longer journey. The goal was clear: to build a company that reflects both precision in optics and a broader sense of exploration.

From the beginning, Explore Scientific aligned itself with the traditions of outreach and recognition that shaped the amateur astronomy community. The company’s sponsorship of the National Young Astronomer Award and the Leslie C. Peltier Award was dedicated to John Diebel and Meade Instruments, honoring a legacy of supporting those who teach, inspire, and extend astronomy beyond themselves.

Explore Scientific has grown into more than a manufacturer. It stands as part of a larger ecosystem that connects astronomy, nature, and discovery across disciplines.

Meade Instruments

Scott’s career with Meade Instruments began in 1986 and spanned more than two decades of transformation within the telescope industry. He started in technical support and sales, learning firsthand how people encounter astronomy—where confusion begins, where excitement takes hold, and what keeps someone engaged over time.

From 1992 to 1998, Scott worked in Asia, primarily in Taiwan, establishing quality standards for small telescopes and accessories. It was detailed, hands-on work that shaped how products were built at scale.

Over the years, Scott served in a range of leadership roles, including Senior Technical Sales Manager, Director of Technical Sales, Vice President and National Sales Manager for the United States and Canada, and later Vice President of Brand Community and Consumer Solutions. His work extended across product design, manufacturing quality, e-commerce, training, testing, and marketing.

In 1996, he helped develop Meade.com, one of the first websites in the telescope industry. In 2005, he launched the Meade 4M Community, an early global network for astronomy enthusiasts.

Scott concluded his time at Meade in 2008 as Vice President of Global Client Support and Community Relations. Along the way, he taught thousands of people how to use telescopes. The first time someone sees Saturn’s rings, something shifts. That moment stays.

Oceanside Photo & Telescope

Scott’s early career was shaped at Oceanside Photographic Center, where he worked from 1975 to 1986 in roles that ranged from camera repair and darkroom work to sales, training, and management. It was a place grounded in craft. You learned by doing, and by helping others understand the tools in their hands.

In the early 1980s, as manager, Scott introduced serious amateur telescopes into the company’s offerings. That decision changed the direction of the business. Soon after, he began organizing events that brought people together around astronomy, turning individual curiosity into shared experience.

This evolution led to the transformation of the company into Oceanside Photo & Telescope, and to the founding of the Oceanside Photo & Telescope Astronomical Society. What began as a local effort grew into one of the largest amateur astronomy communities in Southern California.

Working alongside Craig Weatherwax and Mike West, Scott helped position the company as a leading retailer of high-end astronomical equipment. More importantly, it became a place where people could begin a lifelong relationship with the sky.

Outreach & Global Engagement

Outreach has remained a constant thread throughout Scott’s career.

Inspired by John Diebel’s commitment to supporting the astronomy community, Scott helped launch the Meade 4M Community in 2005, bringing together organizations and individuals dedicated to astronomy and space exploration across the globe.