I went to a talk given by Tom Boles at the Edinburgh Observatory last night. Tom has discovered well over 100 Supernovae since 1995 and he was there to explain the mechanics of patrolling the skies in search of these phenomena. Not being an atronomer myself, I was quite surprised at how much it relied on systematic methodology rather than science. Also very interesting to learn how the internet and computers in general is a huge help to these individuals (mostly amateurs). Tom explained his proudest moment was a discovery 2003 when quite a few telescopes (including the Hubble) trained their lenses on his new addition to the records. Must have been quite a buzz.
Anyway, this post is my way of taking my hat off to inividuals such as Tom for helping us understand the Universe that little bit better.
Anyway, this post is my way of taking my hat off to inividuals such as Tom for helping us understand the Universe that little bit better.
