Hi Ownen,
I would not say it was any one particular thing. As a kid I was interested in science-y type stuff, especially, like many kids, dinosaurs. I got interested in astronomy when I was still in grade school. I was especially interested in other planets and when the images from the Pioneer and then Voyager probes started coming in I found those really exciting. I did not really decide to go into science until college though, where I ended up majoring in physics because I enjoyed it. I certainly had some good teachers along the way and a good experience in an high school level amateur astronomy group. Things add up to make a difference.

cheers,
Terry