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

[Anne van Weerden]

Hi Lew and all,

I tend not to agree with the idea that 'modern' people don't want to 
observe meteors because of the patience and endurance you need. I work 
in a library, and I remember having read, in a journal of the '50, a 
desperate call from the calculators of the meteorgroup to send in data. 
That didn't change a lot over the years, I think.
I rather think not all people have a passion (and those passions are 
again divided over a lot of areas!), and meteor watching is something 
you can't do without a passion, because it is not attractive 'from the 
outside'. A lot of hobby's you can have because you can tell about it in 
public, or show your large telescope, letting people see through it. If 
other people find it exciting to hear about, their reaction will 
motivate you. Meteor watching -is-, I think, something like fishing, no 
one wants to hear about it if he isn't into fishing himself (I don't :). 
At most someone is willing to accompany you for a night observing 
meteors, having a good time and having seen enough after that one night 
or even after an hour or so. Even the defense it is 'real science' won't 
help, yeah, real science, being cold outside and waiting....  and I have 
to be honest, there are also some areas in science of which I don't 
really grasp the importance.... until it is explained attractively, of 
course :)
And to be completely honest: my passion is not meteor watching, it is 
theoretical physics and cosmology, and I don't understand why not 
everybody wants to do that all the time!! :)

Greetings, Anne