While I usually limit my communications to the schedule of LookUp MeetUps, I want to share an article with you.
Thanks to each and every one of you who have stopped by to look up into the heavens. Almost every day, I experience the joy of having a child look through a telescope and then say to me, "I want to be a scientist." No joke. No exaggeration. I can not think of a better experience, and it is the reason why I stand outside on so many nights. This week alone, I have enjoyed showing the sky to over 500 perfect strangers. At the end of the week, they are all my friends.
In the coming months, I intend to take urban astronomy to as many people as possible. We need to re-enter an age where children dream of reaching new frontiers, and are provided the means to achieve this. The only way we will embark on these adventures as a nation, and as a people, is for each and every one of us to want to reach these frontiers. We must all recognize just what we have to gain as a society, and as a species, by way of these discoveries. There is a practicality to commercializing some aspects of space transport, but the big discoveries must be a product of our collective contributions for the feeling of accomplishment to be fully appreciated.
I ask every one of you to find a way to join me in this endeavor. The method can be large or small. Your votes count. Your letters count. A few dollars from each of our federal tax returns can make the difference between whether or not the U.S. continues to inspire the world with its discoveries. Convince others. Read the publications that report science news. Join an astronomy club, or simply go to meetings until you want to join.
We are living in an age of discovery, but not everyone knows this. Together, we can repopularize a perfect, all-American, all-human pastime: star-gazing.
I welcome your support. You can start by attending, a film screening on April 10th, at 7:30 pm: