Richard Laermer pointed me to an interesting piece comparing the relationship between professional and amateur astronomers to that between journalists and bloggers.
I think the comparison is apt to a point. In astronomy, the professionals – mainly the folks at the large research institutions and universities who have access to the expensive equipment – do most of the theoretical work while the amateurs – folks who have a love of astronomy but never pursued it as a career – fill in on the observational side. A perfect example happened only last month when amateurs observed two meteor hits on Jupiter.
In honor of one of my favorite telescope targets, the glorious ringed planetSaturn, here’s Skepchick‘s (AKA Amy Roth) interview with Cassini tour designer John Smith.
NEAF – the Northeast Astronomy Forum – is the astronomy industry’s version of CES with a little bit of SXSW thrown in for good measure. Held annually at Rockland County Community College, it brings out all the big manufacturers, the publications and the vendors as well as hoards of eager hobbyists with money to burn on the latest gear.
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