The Travelogue of an Astronomer

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Salman:

good read..thnks for sharing

rgds,

t

Malik99,
Thanks for your suggestion. I delibrately wanted this article to be about travel rather than about astronomy. But for the record, I was at La Palma to observe star formation in spiral galaxies. I use filters to isolate light that provide signatures of new-born stars. By understanding the star formation processes in galaxies, we can also start learning about galaxy formation. My work only focuses spiral galaxies.

No, its not a coincidence that some of the best observatory sites are on volcanic islands. They provide stable air and temeperature, dry conditions, tall mountains and little or no light pollution. Another good place, that is not a volcano is Chile. Being next to the Pacific ocean and on the Andes, it provides similar conditions.

-Salman

Salman sahib - Interesting way of connecting the past, the present and the new frontier of space. I wish you had delved more into the astronomy aspects of your travel and what you saw and observed. Also, I was not sure what were your goals during those 4 days at the observatory.

Interestingly, I had the chance to visit the telescope site in Hawaii you talked about, a few years back. Unfortunately, my travel plans, as well the time of the day, did not allow me to make use of the telescope. It is interesting (perhaps coincidence?) that Hawaii`s observatory is also built atop a volcanic landscape, with calderas in the surrounding. Do you think this is just a coincidence, or there is a reason behind it?