Comments on: Cautious Welcome for UK Research Council U-Turn on Gemini Observatory Funding

By: UK Physics and Astronomy in Danger » astroengine.com

UK Physics and Astronomy in Danger » astroengine.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:35:26 +0000

[...] Cautious Welcome for UK Research Council U-Turn on Gemini Observatory Funding (February 12th, 2008) [...]

By: mostafa kazemi por

mostafa kazemi por — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:01:16 +0000

not baaaaaaaaad

By: Vagueofgodalming

Vagueofgodalming — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:02:19 +0000

Heh. British scientists seem to me to have been quite canny on this one, for the most part peddling the line that this outcome wasn't what government intended, everybody means well, etc.

That means the government can quietly change tack, while all the while claiming that every decision made was exactly the right one at the time, and no person associated with the government has been incompetent, oh no, perish the thought.

By: Astrofiend

Astrofiend — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:32:24 +0000

Hmmmm. Hopefully this will give the pollies some time to realise how important an issue this actually is.

Seriously, I think a publicity campaign by some professional and amateur astronomers from the UK may be in order here. The public (in general) holds a deep fascination with astronomy. It is one of the few sciences that excites and inspires people from all walks of life, no matter what their current level of knowledge is or educational background, their age or (dare I say it) their religious creed. It is something everybody can enjoy and draw from. A series of free (and advertised) public astronomy seminars would get people involved, with the dual goal of firing the public's imagination and love of the night sky, and explaining current threats and issues relevant to astronomy such as this current funding issue, light pollution etc. etc.