im now living in australia and i've been thinking about the way australia views the science of astronomy, it seems as though they dont take it seriously enough. i've always wanted to study astronomy in university but i have only found one university which teaches astronomy as the core topic. this being macquarie university. i went to one of their information days and they advised the people who were interested that doing a course in astronomy is risky and that a job would be very hard to find at the conclusion of the course. i was though, going to study adv science and choose astronomy as an elective but that isnt the same is it Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ? i dont know why australia isnt serious about astronomy since the middle of it is almost empty desert away from city lights and would be perfect for studying the skies. i have also read that australia doesnt have much professional organisations which monitor the skies for NEOs (near earth objects). they just dont believe that something like this would happen (even though it has happened in the past). australia is far behind america in the science of astronomy and i believe that only half the universe (north side) is being monitored whereas the southern side isn't (actually where is north and south, up and down in this universe? lol) what im trying to say is that australia needs to take astronomy seriously ... thanks for listening to my rambling Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
i live in a country where they are 30 professional astronomers. in the whole country. 30!! There is also one college that gives astronomy and its way too hard and expensive to get in. i'm begin this year in college with science and phisics, and i would have rather astronomy but you've got to find other ways, you know. i hope you keep liking astronomy beside all the contras. btw... southern skyes are been monitored, its just that is by northen side people
aerosimon, Many Australian universities teach astronomy and astrophysics. For example, Sydney Uni and the University of Melbourne both have courses in astronomy, and I suspect there are others elsewhere (e.g. try UQ and University of Adelaide). Australia is strong in astronomy. Many important discoveries are made all the time by Australian astronomers. For example, check out the Anglo-Australian telescope and radio-astronomy in places like Parkes. Many Australian researchers also collaborate with other researchers around the world. We have world leaders in fields such as pulsar research and gravitational lensing. Many Australian astronomers use the Hubble Space Telescope for their work.
Melbourne University runs astronomy. The observatory outside Canberra has information about which university courses might suit you, the place is called Ginnindirra or something.
To Aerosimon and all the rest Australia is not THAT far behind America when it comes to astronomy. It is true there is a gap between the two, but Oz still has some advantages over the Yanks. For example: even if the Arizona Dark Sky can match against the black, contrast sky of NSW (or better, WA!), the universe is simply better looking from the Australian side! Plus you have the instruments like the AAO, Parkes, and now there have been recent talks about a new observatory being build. You are right though when it comes to NEO research. When I was in Oz I visited the AAO and had the rare opportunity to spend 2 nights on site, as a visitor. I met Rob McNaught, a fine and pleasant person, who was, and I think still is, one of the leading meteors and NEOs experts in the world. He also mentioned that the latest NEOs research got its plug pulled because the Oz gov wanted to save the 120k of Aus$ for the East Timor thing. Ever since there was no NEO research done there. Pathetic, isn't it? One asteroid coming from space can cost tens of millions of lives and charge us tens of trillions of dollars. Not to mention the historical trauma this would have on our civilization. And the only operation is the southern hemm (back that) was shut down for some 80,000 US buck a year. I you want to see how your country treats astronomy, open your daily newspaper. In many of them you'll see astronomy related news and articles. You have many amateurs who are active in one way or another. Many researches that were mot only in the right place, but also with the right will and wishes. Australia is good for astronomy business. I hope it stays that way, in comparison with most of the world. Cheers, Guildenstern PS, didn't 80 Australian scientists just post a letter to your gov saying it needs to put in more money in NEO research? This is the ppl talking!!
thanks for the clarification guys, but i think i'll continue being an amateur in the field of astronomy and join a club or 2 (when i get off my lazy ass and get my licence!). >> PS, didn't 80 Australian scientists just post a letter to your gov saying it needs to put in more money in NEO research? This is the ppl talking!! they did? cool, i guess i need to start reading newspapers aswell... hehe Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Letter to Australian Government (text and signatories) Below is the full text of the letter sent to the Australian Government, as it was provided to SPACE.com earlier this week: THE INTERNATIONAL SPACEGUARD INFORMATION CENTRE 28 January 2002 An Open Letter to the Australian Federal Government from International Scientists Australia's contribution to Spaceguard Spaceguard is the name given to an international effort to search the skies for asteroids that might collide with the Earth. The name was coined by Sir Arthur C Clarke in a 1973 novel that described how mankind set up an asteroid detection and defence network after a large asteroid struck Italy and devastated southern Europe. Since the novel was written the risks and grave consequences of asteroid impacts have been recognised and studied. Scientists around the globe are now working to ensure that Clarke's scenario of a sudden, deadly impact does not occur. The United States is the main contributor to the search effort, with several telescopes dedicated to Spaceguard. Japan recently constructed a new telescope facility for Spaceguard work and Europe is in the process of setting up search telescopes and the vital support systems to analyse the data from the searches. Rob McNaught from Siding Spring in New South Wales runs the only professional asteroid tracking project in the southern hemisphere. This operation is funded mostly by the United States and is associated with the Australian National University. It was set up in recognition of the need for Spaceguard telescopes in the southern hemisphere. Gordon Garradd, an astronomer from Loomberah in New South Wales, receives some funds from NASA for critical southern hemisphere follow-up observations using a home-made telescope. However, a much greater search effort, including a larger telescope, is needed to detect asteroids that pass through southern skies. It would cost several million dollars to set up a suitable facility in Australia but some of this might be covered by contributions of equipment from the USA. Operational costs should be less than $1 million per year. This is a highly cost effective investment in the prevention of loss of life and severe economic damage from asteroid impacts. McNaught and Garradd were previously in a team of Australian astronomers, led by Dr Duncan Steel, who searched for asteroids between the late 1980s and 1996. They found about one third of new threatening asteroids discovered during this period, demonstrating Australian expertise and the importance of searching southern skies. Australian government funding for the project was withdrawn in 1996 and the team disbanded. The United Nations and the OECD have recognised the potential hazard to our civilisation from asteroid impacts. This month the OECD is looking at the issue as part of its Global Science Forum and recently asked developed nations to indicate their plans to contribute to the Spaceguard effort. A major global Spaceguard effort could provide decades of warning prior to an impact. This would be sufficient time to refine the space technology needed to nudge a threatening asteroid into a harmless orbit, or to evacuate the predicted impact area. Without Spaceguard there would be too little warning to prevent a disaster. This is clearly demonstrated by the recent close approach of a 300m wide asteroid. It was discovered only a few days before it passed by the Earth and, had it been on a collision course, there is little that could have been done to prevent possibly millions of casualties when an area the size of Tasmania would have been devastated. We note that a spokesperson for Science Minister Peter McGuaran said that the Government would look into renewing the funding of a dedicated Australian Spaceguard programme (The Age, 9th January). We welcome this reassessment of the issue and look forward to Australia rejoining the international effort to deal with the asteroid threat. Here is the list of signatories to the letter sent to the Australian government: Olga T. Aksenova, Blagoveschensk State University, Russia Gennady V. Andreev, Astronomical Observatory of Tomsk State University, Russia John Anfinogenov, Tunguska Preserver, Siberia, Russia Yana Anfinogenova, Siberian State Midical University, Russia Mark Bailey, Armagh Observatory, UK Mike Baillie, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Michael J Barlow, University College London, UK Andrea Boattini, IAS, Area Ricerca CNR Tor Vergata, Italy Jiri Borovicka, Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic Mark Boslough, Sandia National Laboratories, USA Peter Brown, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, Canada Larisa Budaeva, Tomsk State University, Siberia, Russia Andrea Carusi, IAS, Area Ricerca CNR Tor Vergata, Italy Silvano Casulli, Colleverde di Guidonia Observatory, Italy Clark R. Chapman, Southwest Research Institute, USA Andrew Cheng, Applied Physics Laboratory, USA Paul Davies, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, Macquarie University, Australia Ann Druyan, CEO, Cosmos Studios, USA Alan Fitzsimmons, Queen's University Belfast, UK Giuseppe Forti, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Firenze, Italy Luigi Foschini, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Italy Lou Friedman, The Planetary Society, USA Michael J. Gaffey, Space Studies, University of North Dakota, USA Jon Giorgini, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA Valentina Gorbatenko, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia Vic Gostin, Dept.Geology & Geophysics, University of Adelaide, Australia Tom Gehrels, The University of Arizona, USA Ian Griffin, Space Telescope Science Institute, USA Valentin Grigore, The Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM), Romania Christian Gritzner, Dresden University of Technology, Germany Gerhard J. Hahn, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany Peter Haines, University of Tasmania, Australia Nigel Holloway, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority & Spaceguard UK Ola Karlsson, UDAS Program, Uppsala Astronomical Observatory, Sweden Colin Keay, The University of Newcastle, Australia Bob Kobres, University of Georgia, USA Natal'ya V.Kolesnikova, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia Leif Kahl Kristensen, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark Karl S. Kruszelnicki, School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Australia Eleanor Helin, NEAT Program, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA Bob Kobres, University of Georgia, USA Evgeniy M. Kolesnikov, Moscow State University, Russia Korado Korlevic, Visnjan Observatory - Spaceguard HR, Croatia Eugeny Kovrigin, Tomsk State University, Siberia, Russia Richard Kowalski - Quail Hollow Observatory, USA Yurij Krugly, Astronomical Observatory of Kharkiv National University, Ukraine David H. Levy, Jarnac Observatory, USA Dmitrij Lupishko, Kharkiv National University, Ukraine Terry Mahoney, Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Spain Brian Marsden, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, USA Bruce Mackenzie, National Space Society, USA Ilan Manulis, The Israeli Astronomical Association, Israel Austin Mardon, Antarctic Institute of Canada Jean-Luc Margot, California Institute of Technology, USA Gianluca Masi, Bellatrix Observatory, Italy Alain Maury, CNRS, France John McFarland, Armagh Observatory, UK Natalya Minkova, Tomsk State University, Russia Joe Montani The University of Arizona, USA Darrel Moon, Oxnard College, California, USA Thomas G. Mueller, Max-Planck-Institut, Garching, Germany Chernykh Nikolaj, Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Crimea, Ukraine Steve Ostro, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA Trevor Palmer, Nottingham Trent University, UK Benny Peiser, Liverpool John Moores University, UK Joaquin Perez, Universidad de Alcala, Spain Paul Roche, University of Glamorgan, UK Maria Eugenia Sansaturio, University of Valladolid, Spain Lutz D. Schmadel, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut Heidelberg, Germany Hans Scholl, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, France Vladimir A. Shefer, Astronomical Observatory, Tomsk State University, Russia Carolyn Shoemaker, Lowell Observatory, USA Vadim A. Simonenko, Space Shield Foundation, Russia S Fred Singer, University of Virginia, USA Giovanni Sostero, Remanzacco observatory, Italy Reiner M. Stoss, Starkenburg Observatory, Germany Jonathan Tate, International Spaceguard Information Centre, UK Luciano Tesi, Osservatorio di San Marcello Pistoiese, Italy Jana Ticha, Klet Observatory, Czech Republic Josep M. Trigo-Rodriguez , University Jaume, Spain Roy A. Tucker, Goodricke-Pigott Observatory, Arizona, USA Harry Varvoglis, Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece Gerrit L. Verschuur, University of Memphis, USA Fiona Vincent, University of St.Andrews, Scotland, UK Dejan Vinkovic, University of Kentucky, USA Vladimir Vorobyov, Pomor State University n.a. M.V. Lomonosov, Russia Chandra Wickramasinghe, Cardiff University, Wales, UK Gareth Williams, Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, USA Don Yeomans, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA Oleg M. Zaporozhets, Kamchatka State University, Russia Krzysztof Ziolkowski, Space Research Centre, Warsaw, Poland
