The aging of the amateur

Perhaps the times they are a changing.

I suspect that this question would not be so relevant in another 30
years time perhaps a lot longer. Astronomy has been around many years,
and i suspect the volume of people that come into this hobby can be
put down to society holding different priorities as well as various
kinks in the development of our individual cultures. Climate change
would/is have/having a dramatic effect on the observational
astronomer. The information age and the speed in which that
information is now delivered against the rather leisurely pace of a
nights observing is now at odds with today's mindset. Hubble has given
today's child a unique view of the cosmos that cannot be matched at
the EP (yet) which could lead to faint fuzzes being a somewhat
disappointed view to new young observers.

On the plus side their are likely thanks too many present amateurs
always going to be a core of observers that will pass down there
skills from one generation to the next. So far this seems to be enough
to counter the movement of people from and into the hobby. Also, I do
believe that today's youngsters thanks to the work at NASA and other
space agencies as well as the commitment of School teachers (which is
one reason, why I would not worry too much about the Wisconsin thing).
Couple that with the sheer vast amount of online resources available
to today's youngsters. And I think you may end up with a more clued up
bunch of misfits that ever walked the planet. We oldies just can't see
it yet, but then I am pretty sure my parents couldn't see it either.

Barry

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On 11 Nov 2004 08:57:38 -0800, Barry Sharpe wrote:

Hubble has given
today's child a unique view of the cosmos that cannot be matched at
the EP (yet) which could lead to faint fuzzes being a somewhat
disappointed view to new young observers.

Hmmm, to my way of thinking, a child with a disposition to seek and enjoy
Hubble images is highly likely to be sufficiently intelligent and
discriminating to realize that an EP view through a backyard scope is not
going to compare.



--
Martin
"Photographs From the Universe of Amateur Astronomy"
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinhowell

On Sat, 06 Nov 2004 13:26:44 -0500, RichA wrote:
This is something I can't quite pin down.
A few years ago, I noticed that amateurs seemed
to be older than they were 20 years ago, on average...

I can say that it's true for myself. I'm older now than I was 20 years
ago.

wrote

This is something I can't quite pin down.
A few years ago, I noticed that amateurs seemed
to be older than they were 20 years ago, on average...

I can say that it's true for myself. I'm older now than I was 20 years
ago.

By how much?