Do you like astronomy?

Astrophysics and astrobiology are so interesting! It's so intriguing, how vast the universe is and how little we still know. I took an astrobiology course last semester, focusing on the origins and evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe, both extraterrestrial (microbes) and life on Earth. Man, just to even think we don't know what 'dark energy' really is.

 

One of my favorite sciences.

 

Its aight

 

I got a goddamn telescope for my thirteenth birthday, so it's safe to say I love it.

 

I. LOVE. SPACE.

Space is so fascinating and I can only imagine what kind of things can be observed. It's such a miracle to see star nurseries, and all of the amazing forms that nebulae can take and oh my lord it's just...it's just so fascinating and beautiful. If I had the opportunity to see all of this with my own eyes...oh god, I'd jump at the chance. I'm taking an astronomy course this upcoming semester and I'm super excited about it.

 

Hi MulticoloredSox,

it's so good to read your words ("I like it because it really puts our existence into perspective"). Because I feel exactly the same whenever I look up and watch the stars or even when I read a book about our universe. To be honest, I can't really believe that people who are not amazed by this exist..

---------- Post added 3rd Jan 2017 at 01:58 PM ----------

Hi Reskaro,

Haha, true enough! I also took an astrobiology course at the university a few years ago.
It's amazing and at the same time so confusing to assume "dark energy" and "dark matter" exist, because we know they must exist.

---------- Post added 3rd Jan 2017 at 02:01 PM ----------

Hi AnAtypicalGuy,

So since then do you regularly go out to spy on the stars?

---------- Post added 3rd Jan 2017 at 02:03 PM ----------

Hi AgenderMoose,

Why don't you grab a telescope and have a look? It'd be a nice supplement to your course

 

I find maths and physics interesting, so some of the science is interesting to me. However, I find looking at stars, or the idea of going out into space, really boring. It seems like a huge waste of money when we can find out so much theoretically.

 

I would like to learn more about it, yes.

 

I love astronomy!

 

I do it as regularly as I can, but not as often as I would like. It's pretty hard to do any amount of stargazing with the giant London clouds in the way :lol:

 

Haha I know, it's similar in every big city. It's lucky if you have the opportunity to go out, away from light pollution. It's a pity we have to move very out to have that breathtaking sight of the Milky Way. Especially in Europe. Not like in Africa
Have a look!

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=4&lat=5759860&lon=1619364&layers=B0TFFFFF

---------- Post added 4th Jan 2017 at 10:57 PM ----------

Well, we're differrent. I find stargazing one of the most amazing activities one can do.
However, I understand your point about theory.

 

I find it very interesting. The stars, the planets, the galaxies. It's very pretty and amazing how it all works.

 

I agree, it is quite a shame. I always try to take out my telescope whenever I go on holiday to the country, just so I can use it to its fullest. However there are the odd days where the London skies are clear; those days are truly amazing.

That website is pretty cool! Africa does look nice and clear on that map. Meanwhile Europe...

 

Hi,
I love astronomy! When I was in high school, I actually diagrammed the stars and figured out how to place them on my ceiling so that they looked like the night sky (or how they appeared from the northern hemisphere). I even memorized distances and brightness of some of the stars. I guess my favorite subject within astronomy is studying the big bang theory, dark matter, black holes, and SETI (like the Drake equation).

 

Think about it, each and every star in the night sky either is, or was a sun much like our own. (Some stars have died and the distance means we still see their light) We orbit what they call a dwarf star, many stars are much larger than our own and to any of us Sol's size remains fairly incomprehensible. A fair majority of these stars would naturally have several planets in orbit, many untouched worlds drifting around the countless stars.

And that's just our galaxy alone... there are many others like it. On the galactic scale our sun is practically a microbe, and it could still easily engulf our world. On the universal scale, everything we know seems like so little.

I really wish humanity could forget the petty sexism, homophobia, fossil fuels, etcetera and just explore it. Why should we kill each other and our very world over resources, when there are countless barren globes to mine instead? You can't destroy an ecosystem if there's not one there in the first place, and Earth has been drained a bit too much for comfort. I'd rather not kill the one planet we've confirmed to have life.

I don't know, I feel there are so many answers out there just ready to be revealed if people could stop fighting and work together long enough to search for them. And I don't know about you, but the people on this planet make me eager to leave for another.

 

I've never touched a telescope. However, I'm deeply fascinated by what little I understand about cosmology and quantum mechanics. I've read a lot of books about them, especially a few years ago, and I'm open to new suggestions!

The universe is amazing and I wish I understood a lot more about it

 

my name is literally Galileo and I picked it so... yeah.. XD

 

I would probably like astronomy more if my dad wasn't such an annoyance with it. It does seem interesting, but I'm fed up with it.

Though, all that empty space scares me.

 

So cool! I should do that with the ceiling now I guess

---------- Post added 7th Jan 2017 at 04:49 PM ----------

Kira,

I think you've just summed up what really amazing is about astronomy...

---------- Post added 7th Jan 2017 at 04:58 PM ----------

Lawrence,

if you like, you could check out the book by Jeremiah P. Ostriker ans Simon Mitton, named Heart of darkness: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Invisible Universe, 2013.

Ostriker, J.P. and Mitton, S.: Heart of Darkness: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Invisible Universe. (eBook, Paperback and Hardcover)

---------- Post added 7th Jan 2017 at 05:01 PM ----------

RainbowGreen,

don't let that behavior ruin your interest in stargazing! Try to immerse yourself a little in astronomy and tell me what you think

 

I am impressed. It has been almost 10 months and no Uranus puns on this thread about astronomy.
I had a couple I thought were hilarious, but everyone else was so serious, I felt awkward posting them so I had to bite my lips so hard. Props for maturity everyone!