How To Be a Frugal Astronomer

By Nancy Atkinson - November 21, 2008 at 11:36 AM UTC | Observing
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These are tough economic times for almost everyone, including those of us interested in doing a little backyard astronomy. Even if you're a casual astronomer or have never done much observing, gazing at the stars might be just the remedy you need to take your mind off any financial woes. Brian Ventrudo, the editor over at One-Minute Astronomer has put together a list of 25 tips and resources that are almost entirely free to help you enjoy astronomy on a tight budget. It's a great list (it includes a tip to read Universe Today!), so check out Brian's article, and while you're there you should subscribe to his newsletter, too.

More about the One-Minute Astronomer...

I've subscribe to the One-Minute Astronomer for awhile now, but didn't know much about the background of the site. So I emailed Brian, and he told me that he developed the website and newsletter to fill a niche where people interested in astronomy can get short easy-to-read articles that help them learn more about astronomy and get more out of their hobby. "A lot of beginners and near-beginners get frustrated after a while and sometimes get information overload,"Brian said, "So my site helps them through by giving useful (usually!) advice and information."

The One-Minute Astronomer sends out two emails each week to subscribers, and as the name implies, it only takes a minute to read his great advice. That minute is a great "investment" for your interest in astronomy (to continue the economic thread here...!)

About the 25 tips for being a frugal astronomer article Brian said, "Many of my subscribers ask where they can find good free information, so I thought I'd put it all in one place for them. And it's timely with all the nastiness going on with the economy and markets."

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com