Gary Kronk has held a life-long passion for astronomy, and has been researching historical information on comets ever since sighting Comet Kohoutek in 1973/4. His work has been published in numerous magazines, and in two previous books: Comets: A Descriptive Catalog (1984) and Meteor Showers: A Descriptive Catalog (1988). Kronk holds positions in various astronomical societies, including Coordinator of the Comet Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, and Consultant for the American Meteor Society. The International Astronomical Union named minor planet 48300 Kronk in honor of the extensive research Gary Kronk has done in cometography.