So there might be some second hand gear going cheap eh ... ? Well, you gotta look on the bright side..
Auckland Astronomical Society has well over 700 members and is growing at the rate of about 70 per year. A very publicly active group ( they run Aucklands Stardome Observatory ), meetings are held every week and usually attract 30-50 attendees. Some nights are two sessions, an earlier photog group, then a lecture\film\Planetarium session after. Very diverse age group and plenty of ladies active as well.
Seems to be growing over here with the interest in current space developments.
Our state government sacked the professional astronomers at our
observatory to save a miserable $300,000. Now there is no pro observatory
between Adelaide and South Africa.
raymo
Our state government sacked the professional astronomers at our
observatory to save a miserable $300,000. Now there is no pro observatory
between Adelaide and South Africa.
raymo
I thought WA was smarter than that. They should have sacked a couple of politicians..it would have negligible effect on the running of the state.
Yes , In am none to happy about that as well , but hey ? we have ton's of hideous sculptures worth million's every where , here in WA , crazy ! .
Brian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raymo
Our state government sacked the professional astronomers at our
observatory to save a miserable $300,000. Now there is no pro observatory
between Adelaide and South Africa.
raymo
I think it's fair to say we have seen a decline in interest in many scientific hobbies since the heady days of the 1960's through 1980's.
Halley's Comet was a strong draw card, but the changes brought about by the lack of maths/ science teaching, easier purchase of ready made telescopes etc. and the general lack of DIY and any dedicated rigorous application of effort to astronomy has had a significant impact.
I know only too well the problems of getting novices interested in Spectroscopy. For every 100 "interested" beginners, the number of active participants a year later is <10 and this drops to around +/-2 after three years.
I'm continually grateful to the members on the Astronomical Spectroscopy forum, about 900 at the moment for their ongoing support and contributions to ProAm research.
I think Perth has a 24" Newt; is that right Brian?
raymo
Perth observatory at Bickley has a 30" obsession (currently under upgrade with servocat and Argo Navis), 16" Meade, 14" Celestron (soon to be upgraded to a new 14") and a 100+ year old 12" Calver that is a remarkable piece of history. Additionally there's a smattering of small scopes, ie 11"cpc , some 10"
Dob's.
The 24" up in the dome is a Boller & Chivens RC and there is a 12" refractor astrograph in another of the domes. Neither of these instruments are in use.
I don't think the drop in interest referred to by the OP has manifested in a fall of in visitors. Most nights are filled close to capacity. If you're on this list, live in Perth and haven't come along you should be ashamed of yourself :-)
Cheers
Andrew.
I doubt there's a decline in interest in scientific hobbies as suggested - I think there's more viable fields now, including, for example robotics, computing, etc.
Another thing to consider is if you work full time, then it's often difficult to dedicate yourself to another pursuit beyond the hobby level. For myself, I'd like to do more within Astronomy but I know that the demands on my time are such that I can't dedicate or commit myself to the level I believe necessary. However, I learn what I can now such that I can move into doing more for when I eventually retire.
Perhaps this is where we need to also start looking for recruits? Those that are looking for hobbies, etc as they near (or go into) retirement?
I think there is a drop off in interest in technical/scientific hobbies, brought
about by the very significant increase in the number of students that are
dropping maths and the sciences in their later secondary school years so
that they can graduate more easily by doing the "easier subjects".
It follows that if you are not up to speed with maths/science, you're
unlikely to get into a hobby that requires at least a modicum of knowledge
of those two subjects.
raymo
Andrew,
Is there any reason (other than $$$) why the 24" B&C could not be put to use for Spectroscopy???
None at all. The dome is stuck due to a flat tyre, but plans are afoot to get it operational. This scope was doing valuable exoplanet and supernova hunting research until recently, it's my understanding that we will need to find any more work ourselves, but I for one would love to see this thing get our back to work. The 12" astrograph, suitably equipped with a video camera would also be great for planetary imaging.
I'll have to start doing more than just volunteering as a telescope operator soon, but having your own hardware and kids kinds of distracts one from such noble pursuits!
Yes , In am none to happy about that as well , but hey ? we have ton's of hideous sculptures worth million's every where , here in WA 
No , ! .
YEP !.
But on the bright side , we are well overdue for a bright comet , super nova , and Mars getting as big as the full moon 
, true .
