“Dad, I have to have a telescope!”
That’s how it began.
I was twelve at the time — and my dad didn’t believe me. Up until then, he had known me as the little girl who followed him around on all his adventures, repeatedly saying, “Dad, this is your thing, not mine. I’m just here to be with you.”
Well, I really did enjoy being with my dad. But I had been bitten by the astronomy bug, and it sure wasn’t just “his thing” anymore.
So, I did what any reasonable twelve-year-old would do: I set out to prove that I really was interested in astronomy now, enough to enjoy a telescope of my own.
I asked my dad, “What if I wrote a report on astronomy? Then would you believe me?”
He said he would. But, of course, he didn’t believe I would end up writing it.
I wrote it — and it was five pages long.
My dad, then, had to concede that I had indeed fallen in love with the cosmos. So he set out to find me the perfect telescope to nurture my newfound passion.
Now, one thing to know about my dad is that he’s quite the astronomy guy himself. My early understanding of the scientific method, I owe to him. At this time, he owned two telescopes — a 3-inch refractor and an 8-inch Cassegrain — and a very high-tech mount nicknamed “Nomad.”
He decided to buy me a telescope that he would enjoy if I lost interest. And to this day, he jokes that his biggest regret is that I actually stuck with it and kept the ‘scope!
However…since getting my first telescope, I’ve realized that not everyone has the same opportunities I had. Not everyone grows up with parents who are so readily able to buy them a good telescope. Not everyone has a science education woven into their very upbringing.
Not everyone finds it easy to learn about the cosmos.
And that is why I’m here.
So who the heck am I, you ask?
My name is Emma. I’m a 26-year-old student with a passion for astronomy, astrophysics, the universe, and science in general. My favorite thing to do is share my passion with others. When I’m not engaged in community outreach, I’m writing — both astronomy nonfiction and science fiction.
It’s important to note that I am not an expert. I consider myself a science communicator. I don’t claim to be an expert in any field — yet. I do claim to be an enthusiastic lifelong learner, which is all I believe anyone interested in science really needs to start out.
My experience with astronomy includes years of personal research, roughly a decade of showing children and parents the stars through my telescopes, several high school and college courses (astronomy, chemistry, physics, and calculus), and ten years of writing and administrating this blog.
Across all my pursuits, I hope to reach everyone.
My ultimate career goal is to become a professor and researcher at a four-year institution, where my primary audience will be adults. On the other end of the spectrum, my community outreach has primarily involved children. I’ve tried to use my own story of falling in love with the universe to inspire other youth to pursue science.
And here on this blog, my audience is the layperson, whatever the age group. People who are fascinated by the night skies — or by nature in general — but maybe aren’t sure how to take the first step. People who love looking, and are looking to understand.
If that’s you, you’ve come to the right place. I promise not to bog you down in technobabble, or to send you site-hopping all over the internet to figure out what I’m talking about. This blog is designed to slowly build on itself, much like a school course, so that everything you need to understand a particular topic can be found elsewhere on my blog.
I have done this so that people who find my writing style accessible can find all the information they need in that same accessible style. However, you are always welcome and encouraged to seek out expert information on any subject you find here. I’m not an expert or a researcher — yet! — but what I am is a learner, a talker, and a writer.
And I have to admit…I’m a huge people person, so I look forward to meeting you all.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you around my blog!
~Emma
P.S. Want to get in touch? Scroll all the way down this page to find a comment form, or you can head over to my contact page to send an email! (Or find me on Facebook.)
Please also take a moment to check out my comment policy 🙂
Dedication
For my grandma
Who gave so much
And asked so little.
This is a science education blog written by a non-expert, so here’s some obligatory information on my sources!
- Astronomy:
- Foundations of Astronomy by Michael A. Seeds & Dana Backman
- Lecture from Astronomy @Georgia Tech
- NASA Article on Swift J1644+57
- Space.com article on the CMB
- Sciencing: Temp 30 min after Big Bang
- Chemistry: Chemistry, published by Prentice Hall
- Physics: Physics: Principles and Problems, published by Glencoe and McGraw Hill
- Earth Science: Earth Science, published by McDougal Littell
- All Life Science Topics:
- Biology, published by Prentice Hall
- Ecology by William D. Bowman & Sally D. Hacker & Michael L. Cain
- Life in the Universe by Jeffrey Bennett & Seth Shostak, published by Pearson
- Introducing Paleontology: A Guide to Ancient Life by Patrick N. Wyse Jackson
- Geology: Essentials of Geology by Frederick K. Lutgens & Edward J. Tarbuck, published by Pearson and Prentice Hall
- Meteorology:
- Meteorology: Understanding the Atmosphere by Steven A. Ackerman & John A. Knox
- National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)
- Storm Highway
More sources to be added!
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