www.chrfr.de

Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

I am highly interested in astronomy, although that interest is more of a theoretical nature. Spending freezing nights outdoors is a task I gladly leave to the more practical enthusiasts, although I did start to familiarize myself a bit with the night sky, and even purchased a pair of binoculars. For me, it is about understanding the world we live in. So, I like learning about it, whether from books, astronomy sites, podcasts, or the occasional scientific paper. Since July 2010, I am enroled in the JCU Master of Astronomy Program as a part-time student via distance learning, where I expect to graduate in 2013. Astronomy is a great science for amateurs and there are many ways to get involved that do not require a special background: The Galaxy Zoo project was originally created to let you classify galaxies by their visual appearance, but since then has diversified to include things like analyzing craters on the moon and looking for exoplanets around other stars! You can also look for Star Dust, or observe variables stars (even with the naked eye). Currently of particular interest is the star Epsilon Aurigae. For more information and a somewhat outdated animation I made about this system click here. Furthermore, I have compiled a short list of great astronomy resources.