I recorded an interesting documentary this last Thursday, and I'm just now getting a chance to watch it. (Gotta love these digital video recorders...)
It's entitled "Seeing in the Dark," and it discusses the current state of amateur astronomy, with some nice information about its history. The biggest, most interesting thing is how many amateurs are now pulling their data from remote sources; there are tons of "time-share" 'scopes out there, which are financed by hundreds or thousands of eager amateur users, that collect photons onto digital camera systems and deliver their images to the amateur investigators via the internet.
It ran on PBS. I would hope it gets re-run at some point.
-the other Doug
Full Version: Amateur astronomy
Emily reviewed this show on her always-excellent blog t'other day, and having been an "amateur astronomer" myself since I was knee-high to a Jawa I'm really looking forward to watching it.
However, one comment in Emily's blog posting made me go "Hmmmm...."
The show makes the point that although astronomy is not a cheap hobby, it is certainly within the reach of many thousands of enthusiasts
As I told Emily, I hope the show doesn't actually make that point, because that could frighten a lot of potential skywatchers away from the hobby that I love.
The thing is, astronomy is a "cheap hobby", or at least it can be. Astronomy is only as expensive a hobby as you wish to make it. It can be almost free, in fact. I know this because I have been an amateur astronomer for some 30 (OMG! 30!!!!
) years now, and I run a large and very active astronomical society here in Cumbria, and although we have a lot of members with telescopes, even the odd observatory here and there, many of my members own little more than a pair of binoculars bought from a 2nd hand store, and a star atlas, and they are very much amateur astronomers too. In fact, I know at least half a dozen of my members don't even use binocs; they're happy to just wrap up warm on a clear night, go outside and simply look up at the stars, or watch an eclipse, or count shooting stars, etc. They're "doing amateur astronomy" too.
When I do my astronomy and space Outreach talks in schools and to community groups here in the UK I am always very, very careful to stress that anyone listening to me can "get into astronomy" just by looking up now and again. Even during the daytime, walking to or from work, or out shopping, they can see the Sun and think about it being a star, and *that's* doing astronomy. Marvelling at a Moon halo or a Sun halo, or a sundog, that's doing astronomy too. It doesn't have to mean investing a gazillion pounds or dollars in a robotic telescope and a dome, or logging on to remote telescopes, or spending hours Registaxing images of Jupiter's cloud belts or Saturn's rings.
So, I'll look forward to seeing the show, but if it really does make astronomy seem like a rich man (or woman's) hobby then that would be a great shame, and very wrong. The poor kid standing in the litter-strewn yard of his apartment block, trying to see the Milky Way through the haze of light pollution above his city, is every bit as much an astronomer as the guy who looks at the sky with his 24" reflector from his custom-built dome, in the garden of his sprawling house in a dark corner of some light pollution free community.
If you look up at the sky and smile with a sense of wonder as starlight bathes your face, you're an astronomer.
However, one comment in Emily's blog posting made me go "Hmmmm...."
The show makes the point that although astronomy is not a cheap hobby, it is certainly within the reach of many thousands of enthusiasts
As I told Emily, I hope the show doesn't actually make that point, because that could frighten a lot of potential skywatchers away from the hobby that I love.
The thing is, astronomy is a "cheap hobby", or at least it can be. Astronomy is only as expensive a hobby as you wish to make it. It can be almost free, in fact. I know this because I have been an amateur astronomer for some 30 (OMG! 30!!!!
) years now, and I run a large and very active astronomical society here in Cumbria, and although we have a lot of members with telescopes, even the odd observatory here and there, many of my members own little more than a pair of binoculars bought from a 2nd hand store, and a star atlas, and they are very much amateur astronomers too. In fact, I know at least half a dozen of my members don't even use binocs; they're happy to just wrap up warm on a clear night, go outside and simply look up at the stars, or watch an eclipse, or count shooting stars, etc. They're "doing amateur astronomy" too. When I do my astronomy and space Outreach talks in schools and to community groups here in the UK I am always very, very careful to stress that anyone listening to me can "get into astronomy" just by looking up now and again. Even during the daytime, walking to or from work, or out shopping, they can see the Sun and think about it being a star, and *that's* doing astronomy. Marvelling at a Moon halo or a Sun halo, or a sundog, that's doing astronomy too. It doesn't have to mean investing a gazillion pounds or dollars in a robotic telescope and a dome, or logging on to remote telescopes, or spending hours Registaxing images of Jupiter's cloud belts or Saturn's rings.
So, I'll look forward to seeing the show, but if it really does make astronomy seem like a rich man (or woman's) hobby then that would be a great shame, and very wrong. The poor kid standing in the litter-strewn yard of his apartment block, trying to see the Milky Way through the haze of light pollution above his city, is every bit as much an astronomer as the guy who looks at the sky with his 24" reflector from his custom-built dome, in the garden of his sprawling house in a dark corner of some light pollution free community.
If you look up at the sky and smile with a sense of wonder as starlight bathes your face, you're an astronomer.
Damn well said, Stu!
For me, it began two or three days after my first day of school, first grade. I'd been fascinated by the planets & the stars, but always thought that you needed a telescope to see them at all. As it turns out, I was very nearsighted, and my teacher sent me for an eye exam with the school nurse who confirmed this (couldn't even see the chalkboard from the first row of seats!)
I remember looking out the window of my optometrist's office and being actually able to resolve people & cars through my first pair of glasses...magic. More than that, I remember the first time I looked up at the sky & saw the Moon, and the stars...
Later, my cousin had a 2.4" Sears refractor that he never used...bought it from him for like $5 when I was nine or ten. One cold (-20F or so) night, Saturn was well-placed after sunset, so I dragged the scope out to find it...and when I saw this impossible cosmic Christmas ornament for the first time, with a dim spark that I knew was Titan nearby, it was a profound, life-changing experience. Almost got frostbite, but didn't care a bit...
For me, it began two or three days after my first day of school, first grade. I'd been fascinated by the planets & the stars, but always thought that you needed a telescope to see them at all. As it turns out, I was very nearsighted, and my teacher sent me for an eye exam with the school nurse who confirmed this (couldn't even see the chalkboard from the first row of seats!)
I remember looking out the window of my optometrist's office and being actually able to resolve people & cars through my first pair of glasses...magic. More than that, I remember the first time I looked up at the sky & saw the Moon, and the stars...
Later, my cousin had a 2.4" Sears refractor that he never used...bought it from him for like $5 when I was nine or ten. One cold (-20F or so) night, Saturn was well-placed after sunset, so I dragged the scope out to find it...and when I saw this impossible cosmic Christmas ornament for the first time, with a dim spark that I knew was Titan nearby, it was a profound, life-changing experience. Almost got frostbite, but didn't care a bit...
The show didn't emphasize expense, really. There were actually some nice segments with people describing how they built their own scopes, cheap. One fellow showed off a scope built with materials left over from a canoe-building project, another spoke of grinding his own mirror in the aftermath of a hurricane, when "there wasn't no power, so I didn't have anything better to do."
It emphasized that making your own equipment could take a lot of perseverance and practice, but showed all sorts of people who were reaping the rewards of those virtues and were well-pleased with themselves.
All in all, I saw a lot of good role models who didn't spend an arm and a leg on their hobby. A good thing, I think.
-the other Doug
It emphasized that making your own equipment could take a lot of perseverance and practice, but showed all sorts of people who were reaping the rewards of those virtues and were well-pleased with themselves.
All in all, I saw a lot of good role models who didn't spend an arm and a leg on their hobby. A good thing, I think.
-the other Doug
My own memories from childhood include the 3" reflector I got for Christmas in 1969. The most dangerous thing that happened to me in my youth was using the sun filter on that scope to look at sunspots. I was gazing intently into the eyepiece, watching with fascination as the sunspots slowly slid across the sun's face, when the filter cracked with a loud snap and full, magnified sunlight came streaming through the eyepiece.
Darned good thing I flinched when I heard the crack, or I'd be blind in one eye right now.
I also remember using that same scope to study Comet Bennett in 1970. It was the first comet I ever saw that I can remember (Ikeya-Seki having disintegrated close to the sun before coming around to be visible to those of us in the northern hemisphere), and I was (barely) able to see the tiny dot of the nucleus within the coma.
As a slightly older teen, I was a member of my home town's astronomy club, which included rights to check out the keys to the club's 8" reflector located about 10 miles outside of town and away from most of the light pollution. I was able to find the valley at Taurus-Littrow on the Moon with that scope, as well as seeing Syrtis Major and Sinus Meridiani on Mars. Plus a wondrous view of banded Jupiter and its attendant moons, and ringed Saturn. I also for the first time was able to directly see structure in the smudge that is M31.
It's been a long while since I have actually looked into the eyepiece of a telescope... but those childhood experiences molded my interest and enthusiasm for the rest of my life.
-the other Doug
Darned good thing I flinched when I heard the crack, or I'd be blind in one eye right now.
I also remember using that same scope to study Comet Bennett in 1970. It was the first comet I ever saw that I can remember (Ikeya-Seki having disintegrated close to the sun before coming around to be visible to those of us in the northern hemisphere), and I was (barely) able to see the tiny dot of the nucleus within the coma.
As a slightly older teen, I was a member of my home town's astronomy club, which included rights to check out the keys to the club's 8" reflector located about 10 miles outside of town and away from most of the light pollution. I was able to find the valley at Taurus-Littrow on the Moon with that scope, as well as seeing Syrtis Major and Sinus Meridiani on Mars. Plus a wondrous view of banded Jupiter and its attendant moons, and ringed Saturn. I also for the first time was able to directly see structure in the smudge that is M31.
It's been a long while since I have actually looked into the eyepiece of a telescope... but those childhood experiences molded my interest and enthusiasm for the rest of my life.
-the other Doug
My first direct experience with telescopes was in high school back in the 70's. I hung out with the geek crowd, and a few of us decided to form an astronomy club. One student was grinding his own reflector mirror, another knew folks in the local astronomy society which had monthly star parties. We went to quite a few of those star parties, and have been hooked on space exploration since the first one.
Amateur astronomy certainly has matured as 'amateurs' have found Supernovae (Germany: Wolfgang Kloehr) and even checked the existence of exoplanets by observing Tres-1b (Belgium: Tonny Vanmunster)
Philip
Philip
QUOTE (Stu @ Sep 23 2007, 11:11 PM) 
When I do my astronomy and space Outreach talks in schools and to community groups here in the UK I am always very, very careful to stress that anyone listening to me can "get into astronomy" just by looking up now and again.
They can do much more virtually for free. British kids can do observations with a robotic 2 m telescope at a favorable location that would pull the socks off many professional astronomers: National Schools' Observatory. This attention for education is cooler than cosmic background radiation.
UK has a great tradition of public robotic telescopes. The Bradford Robotic Telescope (BRT), which started operation in 1993, was possibly the first such instrument freely accessible to anyone on the Internet. Have a look at my armchair astronomical imaging experiments courtesy of BRT.
A big thank to the BRT team.
Paolo Amoroso
If you look up at the sky and smile with a sense of wonder as starlight bathes your face, you're an astronomer.
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Well, that makes my mother an amateur astronomer! I've tried to get her interested in this for years without much success. However, over the past few months, she's watched shows like "The Universe" on the History Channel and heard me teach my four-year-old nephew about the solar system. I mentioned that Venus would be visible this week at about 5 AM, and she actually woke up to see it! I can't get over the fact that she did this, but then again, I'm not a morning person and am more likely to view anything up to around 2 AM than an hour before sunrise.
[/quote]
Well, that makes my mother an amateur astronomer! I've tried to get her interested in this for years without much success. However, over the past few months, she's watched shows like "The Universe" on the History Channel and heard me teach my four-year-old nephew about the solar system. I mentioned that Venus would be visible this week at about 5 AM, and she actually woke up to see it! I can't get over the fact that she did this, but then again, I'm not a morning person and am more likely to view anything up to around 2 AM than an hour before sunrise.
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