Expert: Ed - 12/9/2006

Question
I have a friend who was interested in amateur astronomy and loved going out at night with his telescope.  But recently he has lost interest.  What can I do to persuade him into amateur astronomy again.  It is sad to see him lose interest after about 10 years.  Thanks.

Answer
Mitchell,
I'm sorry to hear about your friend.  Lots of people who enjoy astronomy seem to really enjoy the experience of explaining astronomical topics to other people.  Maybe you could try to rekindle his interest by asking him interesting questions, so he would have to explain things to you.  Just a thought.

There are sooo many amazing things going on in astronomy these days.  What are some of his main interests?  For example, you could try to get him talking about the discovery of "extrasolar planets," which are planets revolving around other stars.  So far, they have discovered over 200 of them.  Or how about cosmology, the study of th origin and nature of the universe?  We are living in a golden age of cosmology right now, there is a lot to be intrigued about.  Or how about the threat of asteroids?  That's not getting any less scary.  Keep bugging your friend about it, until he feels obliged to sit down and explain the topic to you thoroughly.  He will feel good about having done so, afterwards.

These are just a few suggestions.  Get back to me anytime if you want to discuss this more.

Keep Looking Up!
--Ed