In my time in the UK I did quite a bit of astronomy outreach work – like public observatory tours, helping out with masterclasses for teenagers and a stint at the BBC – and found it a really enjoyable way of talking about my subject to lots of different people. As any astronomer with experience in these kinds of activities can tell you, the variety of people with an interest in astronomy is really amazing. Some are incredibly knowledgeable and spend hours at their own telescopes, some think it’s all a load of shit, others suspect “astronomy” is a government conspiracy, others yet are simply a bit curious about the odd-shaped building or dish thing they drive past every day. But it’s the kids who surprised me the most: they might just stand there looking bored, and then suddenly ask a question so insightful that you wish you’d thought to ask last week’s colloquium speaker.
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