Tom Reiland sees things better when the lights are out.

Reiland, of Shaler, is director of the Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory in Frazer and a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh. As such, he has spent many memorable evenings combing the sky for celestial objects.

Few, however, measure up to the evening of Feb. 28 when a special announcement was made during the annual Wagman Winterfest at the observatory in Deer Lakes Park, Frazer.

That's when Reiland found out that an asteroid had been named in his honor -- Minor Planet 10320 Reiland.

"My father would have been very excited about something like this, to see the family name on a celestial object," said Reiland, whose father died a year ago. "He would have been very proud."

Reiland was nominated for the honor for his 22 years of professional accomplishments as senior observer at Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh's Riverview Park and for his tireless efforts as an amateur astronomer.

"He's a very prominent member of the astronomy community in Pittsburgh," said Truman Kohman, a colleague of 30 years who nominated Reiland for the honor. The citation must be approved by the International Astronomy Union.

Reiland became interested in astronomy as a youth growing up in Shaler. He witnessed Sputnik go over Pittsburgh in 1957. Wernher von Braun's space travel predictions on the TV show "Walt Disney Presents" further piqued his interest.

After graduating from Shaler High School, he joined the Air Force. He finished military duty in 1970 and enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh.

"I was a writing major, mostly poetry, but there was not much of a call for that," he said.

Reiland's career instead was inspired by an astronomy course he took under Nicholas Wagman, former director at the Allegheny Observatory. He credits Wagman with reawakening his love of the stars, a love that led him into a position at the observatory.

During his time at the observatory, Reiland participated in researching stellar distances and the speed and movement of stars. In June 1987, he and fellow members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh opened the Wagman Observatory.

Reiland is chairman of the association committee that coordinates star parties at Wagman Observatory. The star parties give the public insight into astronomy and a chance to see celestial objects through the observatory's two large telescopes.

Eric Fischer, of Hampton , a friend and fellow association member, first met Reiland when Reiland was working as a clerk at Astromart, a store that used to be in North Hills Village in Ross. Reiland recruited Fischer for the association on the spot.

"He quadrupled my understanding of what was out there," Fischer said. "He has shown me a lot of stuff, like the head of a comet breaking off, that I couldn't possibly have accomplished myself."

Reiland was one of the people who conceived the Messier Marathon, one of astronomy's more grueling challenges.

French astronomer Charles Messier spent a good part of the late 1700s to early 1800s panning the sky for comets. He located objects he thought were comets but were not, and he created a catalog of 110 objects that include galaxies, star clusters, nebulae and even a double star. The challenge is to locate all 110 in one night. In the Pittsburgh area, the most that can be seen is 109.

"It's about a 10-hour marathon," Reiland said. "You start a little after 7 p.m. and you're not done until about 5:30 the next morning."

"He's dedicated and devoted to this hobby," Fischer said. "He pushes amateur astronomy to the limit."