Why Astronomy?

I’ve always been interested in space—the stuff beyond the sky (hence the blog name). A year ago I was able to meet one of my graduation requirements with a course in astronomy. Having an interest, and needing the credits, it was a no brainer. From that point on my interest in astronomy has only heightened. I am now exploring on my own and learning about the mysteries of the Universe through journals, books, and even podcasts.

Astronomy is not a required subject in most high schools, and most do not even offer it as an option—this is unfortunate. Learning about astronomy has given me a greater appreciation for the direct world around me. It is a different perspective, and a refreshing one—a macroscopic view of our microscopic lives.

For this blog I plan to discuss the things that I am learning. Consider this a blog from a learner, to a learner. My hope is that together with my readers we can both learn more about astronomy, as well as spread the interest to others.

My Three Favorite Blogs

Universe Today - Informative articles about current events on a wide scale--the Universe. They cover a variety of topics, and it's kept up to date. The publisher of the blog also does a podcast entitled "Astronomy Cast," where they discuss random astronomical topics as well as answer user submitted questions.

Gigazine - Japanese. I'm currently studying Japanese, and while I'm far from being able to comprehend 90% of this, it's fun to pick out what I can.

Kottke - I've always enjoyed random interesting reading, and this is just that. The stories on here are usually very entertaining, and free from most of the everyday news drama. The site is actually known for not dwelling on political happenings.