DotAstronomy: Networked Astronomy and the New Media – Robert J. Simpson and Derek Ward-Thompson (Eds)
Astronomy is facing a paradigm shift. The huge quantities of data that are being created by a new generation of surveys and instruments will require new ways of thinking. At the same time, an ever-more connected world is bringing astronomy to the masses via new media, comprising blogs, podcasts, social networks, and more.
Google Sky and Microsoft’s Worldwide Telescope have taken astronomy into the home with stunning elegance. Data mining, robotic telescopes and virtual observatories will soon take petabytes of data to a global audience of professionals and amateurs. Projects such as Galaxy Zoo enable members of the public to participate in ‘Citizen Science’ and actually engage with research.
Communication and networking technologies are changing science, for both researchers and the public alike. The dotAstronomy Conference discussed the ideas and methods emerging in this new era and the way in which they present interesting and novel opportunities for both conducting and communicating astronomy.
The conference took place at Cardiff University School of Physics and Astronomy between 22nd and 24th
September 2008.
200 pages, colour throughout
ISBN 0-9549846-9-2 Price: £19.99
