Don Parker, a retired physician from Coral Gables, Florida has had a life-long interest in astronomy and, since 1953, has built a number of telescopes ranging in diameter from three to sixteen inches. Over the years Dr. Parker came to specialize in Solar System research and planetary photography. He has taken over 20,000 photographs and electronic images of Mars and Jupiter, as support for professional astronomers at NASA, JPL, and various observatories.

As a Mars Recorder for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, Dr. Parker has done extensive research on the climate and meteorology of the planet Mars. He has authored or co-authored over 150 papers on the Solar System and on planetary photography. These have been pub­lished in both amateur and profession­al journals, such as Science, Nature, Icarus, The Astronomical Journal, and The Journal of Geophysical Research. Parker's photographs and electronic images of the planets have appeared in numerous books and magazines throughout the world, including Encyclopedia Britannica's 1996 Science and the Future . He is co-author of the book, Introduction to Observing and Photographing the Solar System .

He is a member of many professional and amateur astronomical organizations, including Miami 's Southern Cross Astronomical Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Astronomical Society, and the British Astronomical Association. He is past director of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.

In recognition of his contributions to planetary astronomy, Dr. Parker was honored by the International Astronomical Union in 1994, when an asteroid was given the name “5392 Parker.” In 2004 he was awarded the Oriental Astronomical Association's Gold Medal for his work on Mars.