“What Astronomers Need to Know About Nothing”

By: Don Selle
Amateur astronomers are curious by nature. We spend our money on equipment and lots of our time when skies are clear, enjoying the wonders of the stary night sky. There are an almost endless number of cool things in the sky for us to experience, some close to us in our Solar System, some further away in our own Milky Way Galaxy, and some even billions of light years beyond it.
We observe lumps of luminous matter in our universe, rarely thinking about the “empty” space between them. There’s nothing there anyway, at least nothing of interest, right?
Fortunately, there are and have been astronomers who have spent the time trying to understand what seems like nothing, just empty space. It turns out that there is a great deal out there in that “nothing” between the stars.
This presentation will acquaint you with the Interstellar Medium. It has an interesting composition and structure. It also plays a crucial role in the evolution of stars, galaxies, and ultimately in the very astronomers who peer out through it.
You won’t look at the night sky the same way again!
Speaker: Don Selle is a happily retired engineer and project manager whose career in the offshore oil and gas industry took him to many places around the world. Some of them were even nice places to work.
Since 2003, Don has been an avid amateur astronomer, astro-imager and HAS member. Studying the history and science of astronomy kept him well occupied and mostly out of trouble during his long stays away from home.
But his real passion has been for astro-imaging. Starting out with only a basic knowledge of photography, he has learned the ropes and has become a competent astrophotographer and nightscape imager. After 20 years of learning the craft, he is still striving to complete that perfect astro-image that knocks the sox off those who view it and wins multiple awards.
It’s good to have a dream!
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To see the video, click What Astronomers Need to Know About Nothing.