tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14895585.post112895969133686422..comments2024-01-10T21:09:40.742+00:00Comments on davep's astronomy: What's the point?Dave Pearsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07460881163553899351noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14895585.post-1129016956293850612005-10-11T08:49:00.000+01:002005-10-11T08:49:00.000+01:00Megan, Stuart, thanks for your comments.I was a li...Megan, Stuart, thanks for your comments.<BR/><BR/>I was a little worried when I wrote the line about the chances of an amateur ever contributing or discovering anything (and did consider qualifying it) because some people often bristle (not that either of you seemed to have) at the suggestion that the chances are low and start to cite a few examples.<BR/><BR/>I wasn't suggesting (and didn't say) that the chances were zero, I was simply trying to flesh out some of the more reasonable and understandable aspects of the "what's the point" mindset. One of those aspects is the honest appreciation of the fact that your average interested observer, in his back garden, with his sub-£200 reflector, and who doesn't have that much free time due to other commitments (arguably a reasonable example of a lot of people who observe in the UK) probably isn't going to make a major (or even minor) discovery. That doesn't say it won't happen, that just appreciates the fact that it's not going to be a motivating factor.<BR/><BR/>Like Megan said -- it's the fun that counts. The problem for some people seems to be finding the source of the fun. I was trying to give one personal example of where the fun can be found.Dave Pearsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07460881163553899351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14895585.post-1128980674898420612005-10-10T22:44:00.000+01:002005-10-10T22:44:00.000+01:00Astronomy is fun and awe inspiring and to me that ...Astronomy is fun and awe inspiring and to me that is a big reason to do it.<BR/><BR/>As to a point, I agree with Megan that amateur astronomers contribute quite a lot to new discoveries in astronomy. As well as supernovae, amateurs monitor variable stars, look for comets and asteroids and make <A HREF="http://home.arcor-online.de/axel.mellinger/mwpan_aitoff.html" REL="nofollow">beautiful images of the entire sky</A> with <A HREF="http://canopus.physik.uni-potsdam.de/~axm/telescopes.html" REL="nofollow">small telescopes</A>. These things don't need a space telescope (although it would be nice), just time - that is something that the professional astronomers don't have much of. <BR/><BR/>Aaron, in the <A HREF="http://www.slackerastronomy.org/wordpress/index.php/archive/sa-extra-star-party-sound-seeing-tour/" REL="nofollow">latest Slacker Astronomy podcast</A>, talks about the contributions that <EM>anyone</EM> can make towards astronomy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14895585.post-1128973846321080892005-10-10T20:50:00.000+01:002005-10-10T20:50:00.000+01:00I remember that letter well. After reading it on t...I remember that letter well. After reading it on the train one morning, I wrote a response as soon as I got to work. It was perfectly timed as, in the very same issue as his letter appeared, there was a news item on <A HREF="http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2005/sn2005cs.html" REL="nofollow">supernova 2005cs in M51</A> which was discovered by a German amateur astronomer. Amateurs can make valuable contribution to real science but, like you say, for many there doesn't need to be a point. It's fun, that's what counts :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com