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What is an amateur astronomer now?



 
 
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  #11  
Old February 12th 11, 09:55 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Howard Lester[_2_]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?

"Chris.B" wrote

On 12 Feb., 16:04, "John Clockman" wrote:
Well, let's form a relationship between astronomy and sex.


No thanks. I tried it once and didn't like it.


:-)

Astronomers do it at night.

An amateur astronomer without a telescope is like having sex without a
partner.

  #12  
Old February 12th 11, 11:01 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
T.T.[_2_]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?


"Howard Lester" wrote in message
...
"Chris.B" wrote

On 12 Feb., 16:04, "John Clockman" wrote:
Well, let's form a relationship between astronomy and sex.


No thanks. I tried it once and didn't like it.


:-)

Astronomers do it at night.

An amateur astronomer without a telescope is like having sex without a
partner.

We'll take your word for it.


  #13  
Old February 13th 11, 05:39 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Dan Birchall[_3_]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?

Hmmm... I don't think reading Wikipedia articles about stuff in space
makes one an astronomer, amateur or otherwise. I'd certainly say it
exhibits an interest in astronomical matters, just like reading
articles about the Iditarod exhibits an interest in that, but doesn't
make one a racer or a husky.

--
djb@ | Dan Birchall - Observation System Associate - Subaru Telescope.
naoj | Views I express are my own, certainly not those of my employer.
..org | Oh wicked, bad, naughty, _evil_ Dan! He is a _naughty_ person.
  #14  
Old February 13th 11, 06:11 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
jwarner1
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?



"Ken S. Tucker" wrote:

On Feb 12, 1:37 am, oriel36 wrote:
On Feb 12, 4:12 am, "Ken S. Tucker" wrote:

If I read articles like this for a few hours a night,


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri


I'm an amateur astonomer, otherwise I'd need to spend alot of effort
to travel south to an observatory, to see it, but what about his part,


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_C...#Binary_system


Studying that, knowing Newton, is beyond amateurs.
The 'net' has changed the meaning of amateur astronomy,
it's hard to justify a scope, if knowledge is persued.
Ken


As a newbie to s.a.a you can now get an education on what Isaac was
doing with those absolute/relative time,space and motions things and
nothing like what the theoreticians believe them to be,at least if
that is what interests active astronomers,if they want to comprehend
timekeeping then the sprawling history of the calendar system and
longitude problem is before them,likewise the motion of planets and
the structure of the Universe on an ascending scale is before
readers.Just as the old astronomers gauged the motions of the planets
against the stellar background,there will come a time when astronomers
will consider the rotation of the foreground stars against the
background galaxies for multiple purposes.

The internet is the greatest single astronomical tool since the
telescope but it is,after all,a tool and it takes talent to put that
tool to work.There is a lot to be optimistic about when readers are
less wooden about 'defining' things and even somebody who has major
issues with those who get paid for diminishing astronomy with
speculative modeling and the junk dumped into the celestial arena
under the name of astronomy,I can say that the convergence of tools
represents a new phase of astronomy,something more ranging and deeper
rather than complaining about empirical bandwagons that roll on
regardless.

You are a refugee from the relativity forum so remember your place
here,you come to this forum as a bare novice so act accordingly.


LOL, boi, I've had a scope 2 minutes away from me most all my life.
You'd get an audience in the 'relativity forum' now, it's full of
idiots.
Ken


great reply !

  #15  
Old February 13th 11, 09:11 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Brian Tung[_5_]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?

Dan Birchall wrote:
Hmmm... I don't think reading Wikipedia articles about stuff in space
makes one an astronomer, amateur or otherwise. I'd certainly say it
exhibits an interest in astronomical matters, just like reading
articles about the Iditarod exhibits an interest in that, but doesn't
make one a racer or a husky.


Ehh, I'm not sure this is a good analogy. We know a husky is a kind of
dog, and a racer is--by definition--one who races. But there isn't a
corresponding verb form of astronomer; we can't say that astronomers are
those who astronomize, or anything like that--not usefully, at any rate.

I agree with Chris Peterson here; an astronomer is simply someone who
has an interest in astronomy. The usual term for what Ken described is
"armchair astronomer," since it used to invoke reading astronomy books
in an armchair, but I think it works equally well for reading Wikipedia
entries in a desk chair. (Incidentally, I don't happen to use that term
disparagingly, but I imagine some do.)

An amateur astronomer, then, is someone with an interest in astronomy
who does not make a living thereby; a professional astronomer is one who
*does* make a living that way.

--
Brian Tung
The Astronomy Corner at http://www.astronomycorner.net/
Unofficial C5+ Page at http://www.astronomycorner.net/c5plus/
My PleiadAtlas Page at http://www.astronomycorner.net/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ at http://www.astronomycorner.net/reference/faq.html
  #16  
Old February 13th 11, 09:16 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Androcles[_39_]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?


"Dan Birchall" wrote in message
...
| Hmmm... I don't think reading Wikipedia articles about stuff in space
| makes one an astronomer, amateur or otherwise. I'd certainly say it
| exhibits an interest in astronomical matters, just like reading
| articles about the Iditarod exhibits an interest in that, but doesn't
| make one a racer or a husky.
|
|
Taking pretty photographs of the sky doesn't make one an astronomer either.
It may make one a photographer, the majority of whom like to gloat over
their bought equipment and would do better photographing firework
displays.


  #17  
Old February 13th 11, 10:52 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Androcles[_39_]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?


"Brian Tung" wrote in message
...
| Dan Birchall wrote:
| Hmmm... I don't think reading Wikipedia articles about stuff in space
| makes one an astronomer, amateur or otherwise. I'd certainly say it
| exhibits an interest in astronomical matters, just like reading
| articles about the Iditarod exhibits an interest in that, but doesn't
| make one a racer or a husky.
|
| Ehh, I'm not sure this is a good analogy. We know a husky is a kind of
| dog, and a racer is--by definition--one who races. But there isn't a
| corresponding verb form of astronomer; we can't say that astronomers are
| those who astronomize, or anything like that--not usefully, at any rate.

A cartographer makes maps, he doesn't cartographize.
Astronomers measure distances to planets and moons, the size of their
orbits, and maps the sky' stars to enable mariners to navigate on Earth.
Amateur astronomers simply gaze at stars, stupified.


  #18  
Old February 13th 11, 11:33 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Martin Brown
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?

On 13/02/2011 04:39, Dan Birchall wrote:
Hmmm... I don't think reading Wikipedia articles about stuff in space
makes one an astronomer, amateur or otherwise.


Probably not - though it does show an interest in astronomy.

There are several different tribes of amateur astronomy that can be
discerned in any club in roughly order of descending proportions:

Majority who just turn up to weekly/monthly meetings or lectures.
Minority of keen visual observers mostly now with CCD capability.
Handful of telescope makers who only ever observe to star test.
Handful of organisers who make it all happen.
A few old school purist visual only observers.
A few former members who are now professional scientists/engineers.
A couple of folk interested in spaceflight and satellites.
A computer wizard who does serious stuff using public data.
One nutter who believes in UFO's, LGM etc.

The organisers tend to be good at making things happen and need not be
particularly inclined to observe. My home society once had a chairman
who believed Immanuel Velikovsky which made for interesting fireworks.
These days most clubs I know have a selection of donated loan scopes
without enough younger keen observers to use them.

I'd certainly say it
exhibits an interest in astronomical matters, just like reading
articles about the Iditarod exhibits an interest in that, but doesn't
make one a racer or a husky.


I guess to some extent it depends on the level to which you study it
online. I'd be inclined to say that when you get to simulating the sky
or planetary orbits from first principles then you cross the border.

Regards,
Martin Brown




  #19  
Old February 13th 11, 12:02 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
oriel36[_2_]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?

On Feb 13, 10:33*am, Martin Brown
wrote:

I'd certainly say it
exhibits an interest in astronomical matters, just like reading
articles about the Iditarod exhibits an interest in that, but doesn't
make one a racer or a husky.


I guess to some extent it depends on the level to which you study it
online. I'd be inclined to say that when you get to simulating the sky
or planetary orbits from first principles then you cross the border.


Pay attention Brown,my judgement of you is the only one that counts.

Guys interested in magnification and photography look up at the
sky,they may even believe that astronomy is something that happens at
night,genuine astronomers look out at the Sun,moon and planets and
into the celestial arena and make sense of those observations through
a backward/forward flow between terrestrial effects and planetary
dynamics.

Speculative empiricists such as yourself are into models based on
simulating planetary motions through right ascension and otherwise
makes nuisances of yourselves.As modeling with 3D is already on the
horizon,things such as isolating orbital motion from daily rotation or
even how to use the foreground rotation of Milky Way stars for
multiple purposes,these concepts strung together using words become
musty and an indulgence for those with no talent whatsoever in any
facet of astronomy.

The difference is that I am getting to see the transition happen where
the convergence of tools waits only for those who have interpretative
skills leaving you and your odd beliefs,one of which is that it is
possible to see an evolutionary history of the Universe directly via
'big bangers'.

21st century astronomy is a visually driven entity like it once was so
get used to it.





Regards,
Martin Brown


  #20  
Old February 18th 11, 03:51 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
[email protected]
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Default What is an amateur astronomer now?

On Feb 11, 11:12*pm, "Ken S. Tucker" wrote:
If I read articles like this for a few hours a night,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri

I'm an amateur astonomer, otherwise I'd need to spend alot of effort
to travel south to an observatory, to see it, but what about his part,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_C...#Binary_system

Studying that, knowing Newton, is beyond amateurs.
The 'net' has changed the meaning of amateur astronomy,
it's hard to justify a scope,


A scope doesn't require any justification.

if knowledge is persued.


It took our species 100,000+ years to accumulate enough technology to
build telescopes and to discover the laws of physics. However, most of
us have the capability to understand these things if we are inclined
to do so, even without the "net." People can still participate in
amateur astronomy the "old-fashioned" way. They might even have more
fun.


 




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