Quote:
Originally Posted by Miaplacidus
The answer to that one, Hans, is easy. Look around you. The future of astronomy is AMATEUR.
Just think how things were 20 years ago. The images and scientific discoveries (e.g. BOSS) achieved in people's back yards and displayed hereabouts on a daily basis would have been unthinkable back then. Another 20 years of technological advances and enthusiastic amateurs and entrepreneurs, and whatever the NASA boys are up to will be well and truly eclipsed.
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Sorry, if my response seems rude, but amateurs rarely have Ph.d's and budgets to run 10+meter class optical telescopes, square kilometer arrays and cover the spectrum from radio to gamma rays, put sublime optics into orbit etc. etc.
Sure amateurs do fluff & stuff at the edges, but you'd be deluded if you think tiny telescopes in backyards will do much for the cutting edge of research.
....sometimes you really do need a bigger hammer.