Colin James Watling [astrocomet]
SCIENCE
 | What do you investigate? What is at the heart of your research? Astronomy, Fieldwork Skywatching and especially Comets down to Magnitude +9 |
| Do you have a link to a site where we can see something about you, or the center where you work? |
| What is your educational background? What work experience did you have before this? I was top in my Science groups at school and have been part of Lyra (Lowestoft and Great yarmouth Regional Astronomers) for over 10 years now... |
| Did you keep your nose to the grindstone in school? I didn't want it to become sore!!! ---------------------------------- I decided to study hard in the last years at school. |
| What kind of technology are you using for your research right now? Green YaG Laser pointers for the skywatching fieldwork, Red LED headlights for dark eye adaption, 20x100 mounted Binoculars, 4.5 Inch TAL Russian build Newtonian Refractor type Telescope-various star atlases including Nortons 2000 and a good set of deep field sky charts. |
| What types of experiments do you conduct? How are the conclusions documented? I frequently do a lot of fieldwork with the YaG Green laser pointers and conduct my own experiments into how these can be used in Astronomy fieldwork and the potential for future gadgets of this kind to be used for pointing areas of the sky out. |
| If you conclude your investigation successfully, what practical application would it have in everyday life? Lasers as a whole have a big potential in many industries and right across the spectrum-lasers have a big future but mainly the uses I put them too are usually done under cover of dark. |
| What is a "eureka" moment? What is it like to experience one? When I see just what potential the Lasers can do for the future of fieldwork Astronomy. |
| What do you find to be the most difficult aspects of your research? As with all Astronomical fieldwork it depends on clear weather and good seeing conditions but there is also the experiment of pointing the lasers to the cloudtops and seeing how high the clouds are by the ends of the light beam showing into the clouds themselves-maybe it might measure the heights of the accurately one day... |
| What have you published? Monthly astronomical and comet reports for my Blog and Society.. |
| Should there be more public financing for scientific investigation? I wouldn't say no, pends on this Government and how long this bunch of chumps hang onto power. |
| What is your personal position on the use of animals in scientific investigation? No Animals are used or harmed in any way whatsoever in my experiments. Although Lasers do attract cats and bats a lot. |
| Can you briefly explain the difference between common logic and the scientific method? Common Logic is simple and a baby can understand it-we all can whereas Scientific logic is derived from doing a meathod and a result be it however complicated and coming to a scientific logical conclusion. |
| What is science and what is pseudoscience? Who decides which is which? Science is Experimenting with tools to reach a result and conclusion through basic materials and the knowledge and intellegence of a person to derive a result and conclusion, whereas pseudoscience is the same thing but the persons understanding of supernatural and other forces unknown to science being put into practice. |
| What is the role of creativity in the scientific method? Well what got the men to the Moon-basically they had used the tecnology and science of that time-late 1960's to get them to the Eagle has landed position and safely return them to Earth again, Tecnology and science is a main factor in achieving these things and as for today it has put the I.S.S up there with frequent visits from the space shuttle as well as other countries involved-science and tecnology being a major factor to accomplish this. |
| What it is the most intriguing scientific question that you would like to see resolved? What is the border to the Universe, does one exist and if it does what is beyond it? ANS: Whats North of the North Pole? |
| What scientific explanation is there for spirituality? Are religion and science incompatible? Wasn't this question to do with pseudoscience? Depends-Ghosts have been captured on CCTV footage without explanations but people are contrarily divided between Science and Faith and continuously at odds with each other. Personally I believe in God because for all this to be by chance is madness-but so is delving deeper and deeper into Quantumn mechanics-unless you have a brilliant mind to understand it all-everything down there at the molecular sizes and the deeper you go the more madness it contributes to our understanding of it. Basically in my opinion we shouldn't play God because if we do madness is what we'll end up with in the end and that goes for that large Hadron Collider in Cern. |
| Is there some area of knowledge that is morally unacceptable to you? Black arts-Devil Worship and spells-They don't do anyone any good. Large Hadron Collider in Cern-man should not play God as I've stated. |
| Is there another way science could be studied in schools? The Internet. Fieldwork for kids-water rockets, hot air bags rising, Scientific research outside, Astronomical Solar viewing during the day. |
| What is the best way to disseminate science in the mass media? Make it interesting and likeable. |
| Why do two or more scientists often come up simultaneously with the same discovery? Are they psychic? Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp for instance- Remember this: Comet 1995 O1 Hale-Bopp is now a morning object for observers south of the equator, and it has faded below naked eye visibility. It was a 'great comet', though in some ways comet Hyakutake made a greater impression with its long straight gas tail. Discovered on the same night by these Scientists in different parts of the U.S.A in 1995. |
| What is the meaning of life? Is there a scientific answer to this question? No only God can tell you this-Science just explains everything else but this fact. We are here because we are-simple as that. |
| Investigating is to live on the frontier of knowledge. Can you explain that sentiment? The intrigue and satisfaction that comes from the knowledge of Science-yes and the Skywatching fieldwork does a lot for me. |
| What would be your dream to work on for your next research project? Depends where the YaG Laser fieldwork takes me-tecnology can be used for things outside of what they were made for and I have several gadgets and electrical items that does this for me and I'm still discovering further uses. |
| If you could give just one piece of advice to beginning researchers, what would it be? Don't jump in a the deep end (save ya drownin') learn the basics of Science first and work your way up to understanding it and branching off into the area you are best at and like the most, within my science of Astronomy I am head of the Comet section for Lyra: Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork) -- Web: http://lyra.freewebsites.com/ -- Blog: http://lyrandgyastronomers.blogspot.com It has took me around 10 years to achieve this level and still learning a lot. |
--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web: http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Web: http://lyra.freewebsites.com/
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