I think you have hit the nail on the head Peter that apathy is the biggest culprit. It's kind of like a cornflour mix, that the more you stir it the harder it gets. Probably the majority of people don't know about it either. The only way I heard the obs was closing it was on this site.
I would maybe hit a sore point but I' not trying to be rude when I put this forward here but hopefully it would give you some insight to the general way of thinking. Firstly, what is the point of it now?
We have the new stuff going on up north in the gascoyne so if this is the way astronomy is going shouldn't resources and the training of young astronomers be headed towards this type of astronomy?
Please forgive my ignorance but I have no idea what they are doing up there but this is the new kid on the block so to speak and from what I can gather is the future of astronomy
. Does visual astronomy have a relevance in the future as technology becomes much more efficient than we could ever be?
By the way I do think it's cool that the cartes program I use has been produced by the hard work of fellow statesmen.
That makes it something tangible for me and I appreciate it to no end. Maybe there's just no connection with the wider public. If you'd asked me 6mths ago before I started astronomy what the obs had done I'd just look at you blank face and shrug my shoulders. Nothing, nada, not one thing. Think about tell me what you think.
Sincerley
Simmo
