Astronomy and

the New Media

Astronomy is one of the scientific fields that have been completely shaken up by new media.

The Internet has enabled communication between researchers in a dramatic new way, creating new collaborations, removing obstacles, and drawing in an army of enthusiastic volunteers to help with research.

Exactly What is ‘New Media’?

New Media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies.

• Web sites and forums• Web Logs or ‘blogs’• Podcasting sites• Vodcasting sites

What does all this have to do with ME?

Every amateur astronomer has things to contribute. Many sites on the web rely on your input.(Galaxy Zoo, Citizen Sky Project, AAVSO ,IOTA, etc) Even the most casual observations can be relevant.Your input Your input isis important! important!

YOU and the New MediaYOU and the New Media

Let's take a look at how new media is helping change astronomy, and how you can get involved

What has the New Media Accomplished

Examples:In 2007, a teacher,26-year old Hanny Van Arkel, stumbled across an astronomical anomaly – a doughnut-shaped cosmic gas cloud that glowed green and looked like a cosmic ghost – while helping classify images of galaxies at Galaxy Zoo.

In 2009 Anthony Wesley, the amateur Australian astronomer, reported to NASA that he was seeing something unusual in the southern hemisphere of Jupiter. What he saw was an asteroid strike.Also in 2009, while pouring over the images, Galaxy Zoo volunteers identified a number of unusual galaxies. Because they were so small and bright green, they called them "Green Peas." These turned out to be a new type of galaxy.

In 2006 An international team of professional and amateur astronomers, employing a budget telescope atop a Hawaiian volcano have discovered their first extra-solar planet. Dubbed X-O1b, the planet is 300 light years away, and is found to have a mass approximately equal to that of Jupiter

In 2003 an amateur astronomer located a powerful stellar explosion before the Pros!Armed with a 12-inch telescope, a computer, and a NASA email alert, Berto Monard of South Africa became the first amateur astronomer to discover the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst, the most powerful explosion known in the Universe.

Get Involved With Sites for New Media

• 365 Days of Astronomy – http://365daysofastronomy.org/

• Citizen Sky Project– http://www.citizensky.org/

• Galaxy Zoo 2– http://www.galaxyzoo.org/

• Night Sky Network– http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

Share your Knowledge and Observations

• Post your observations and questions on the Blogs and Discussion Groups.

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions of others.• Be sure to document your observations and

findings.If you don’t write it down – It didn’t happen.If you don’t write it down – It didn’t happen.

Podcast and Video-casts• AstronomyCast– http://www.astronomycast.com/

• iTunes– http://www.apple.com/itunes

• Universe Today– http://www.universetoday.com

• Planet Quest– http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/

• Slackerpedia Galactica– http://www.slackerastronomy.org/

Don’t forget the old media.

Don’t forget things like Planetarium Software( Stellarium, Starry Nights, The Sky, Cartes du Ciel).Worldwide Telescope counts as Planetarium Software and it runs telescopes really well. Google Sky counts as well but it cannot run scopes.

According to

• Sports = 914,000,000• Space = 802,000,000• Sex = 578,000,000• Astronomy = 42,600,000• Birmingham Astronomical Society = 53,800 Stats According to Google on 15 January 2009.

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