(meteorobs) Why don't more amateurs get it? (Meteors, that is.)

[Lew.Gramer at noaa.gov]

I just finished watching Timothy Ferris' hour-long PBS (US publicly
supported television) special, "Seeing in the Dark", based on his
well known and beautifully written book of the same name.

I really enjoyed his view of amateur astronomy and it's many joys.
I also enjoyed seeing Barbara Wilson, Steve O'Meara and others
who I've met over the years, sharing their passion for the hobby.

Ferris spent considerable time talking about amateurs' increasing
contributions to the SCIENCE of astronomy... He spent much of his
one hour in fact presenting many tools - from computer-controlled
scopes, to CCDs - that amateurs use to contribute to science. And
he even filmed O'Meara describing his elation when he discovered
the spokes of Saturn's rings many years ago, *visually*.

All of this... and Mr. Ferris did not once mention meteors... Not the
profound, serene simplicity of basking in a beautiful night sky with
the unaided eye. Nor any mention of the central, almost dominant
role we amateurs have played in the science of meteors either!

Somehow, in this on-air paean to all things amateur astronomy,
Mr. Ferris just did not GET IT. And thousands (maybe millions?)
of other potential future amateurs who view this program won't
probably ever "get it" either, as a result.


During this relatively quiet period of mid-September, I wanted to
put a question to our forum: why is it, that something so simple,
so easy, so beautiful, so significant, and so FUN, simply fails to
capture the imagination of most newcomers to astronomy? Why
aren't ALL our fellow amateurs out there with lawn chairs, before
they even pick up their first pair of binoculars? What is missing?

I look forward to hearing others' views...

Clear skies all,
Lew Gramer