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

[Peter Brunone]

> Unfortunately most of them are 
> gone by 1am when the show starts to get good. I guess nature is cool as long 
> as it occurs during civilized hours. 

    I think this is the main drawback to meteor observing among the populace.  You don't have to get up at 2AM to see Saturn, as long as it's up when you're up.

----------------------------------------

From: "Robert Lunsford" <lunro.imo.usa at cox.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 3:34 PM
To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Subject: (meteorobs) Re: Why don't more amateurs get it? (Meteors, that is.) 

Lew and All,

There have been many fine comments on this subject and I really have nothing 
earth-shattering to add.

I would like to commend Robin Gray for his attempts to introduce the sky to 
his kids. Don't feel bad that they didn't take the bait as the competition 
for kids attention is higher than ever. It difficult to compete with the 
vast array of technology offered these days. I ask my kids to come outside 
and see something through the telescope and you would think I was giving 
them some sort of torture. Good Lord, pulling them away from their computer 
or video games is just too much to ask!

John Bortle also made some pertinent points that struck home with me, 
especially the need for instant gratification. In days gone by there was a 
natural progression of first learning the constellations, then using 
binoculars to develop skills of finding celestial objects, and then if you 
were still bitten by the astro-bug, building or buying a telescope. Today 
there are people using go-to scopes that don't know Aquarius from Virgo. 
Eventually most of these scopes end up in the closet or are sold at a garage 
sale.

There are a lot of people who like seeing meteor showers. Many of them will 
make the effort to drive to dark skies. I know because my site is full of 
them during the Perseids each year. Most of them bring the kids in order to 
introduce them to another part of nature. Unfortunately most of them are 
gone by 1am when the show starts to get good. I guess nature is cool as long 
as it occurs during civilized hours.

I also found Wes Stone's comments interesting that even astronomy 
enthusiasts find proper meteor recording tiresome and would rather 
participate in useless group counts. You definitely have to be dedicated in 
order to produce useful results. I feel the ratio is much lower than 1 per 
100 for meteor observers. A real shame is that the dedicated meteor observer 
is rarely more than a "flash in the pan". During the lifespan of meteorobs 
we have seen numerous "dedicated observers" fall off the list or simply 
burn-out. There are very few of us left and we are not getting any younger. 
That is the scariest thought to me. Besides becoming a society of 
"old-timers" there is no one in the younger generation waiting to take our 
place. I'm trying my best to spread the word that meteor observing is both 
fun and scientifically useful but I often feels that it falling upon deaf 
ears. John Bortle seems be correct in the fact that society in general is 
changing its attitudes toward hobbies.

On a lighter note I want to share a story that shows that technology can be 
useful, even in meteor astronomy. On the morning of the recent Perseid 
maximum it was getting light and I was packing up my gear. A mother and her 
two kids drove into the viewpoint to see the show. I gave them the bad news 
that the show was almost over but they they might see a bright Perseid or 
two before it became too bright. They watched for 15 minutes or so and the 
mother and her oldest son had seen two meteors. The youngest son was 
distraught that he missed them both. It was now so bright that the odds of 
seeing anything was remote. I pulled out my video camera and replayed some 
of the action captured through my intensified camera earlier that morning. 
The child was thrilled and the mother grateful that I took the time to share 
this with them. Now I thought that was very cool and something beyond my 
wildest dreams just ten years ago.

Clear Skies!

Bob Lunsford

----- Original Message ----- 
From: 
To: 
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 6:08 PM
Subject: (meteorobs) Why don't more amateurs get it? (Meteors, that is.)

>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

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