In My Opinion: astronomy

OBSERVING WITH A PURPOSE (Heavily edited from a prior publication in the Astronomical League Reflector)

It could seem that science has been demoting humanity ever since Galileo turned a telescope on the sky. Prior to that, our ancestors held to the fantasy that Earth, which we presumed to lord over, lay at the center of a perfect, never-changing celestial sphere where the god(s) obsessed over earthly goings on and in more distant times not infrequently dallied with mortal beauties, according to mythologies of the time.

Warning

If you have come here looking for polished prose, you are in the wrong place. Indeed, if you have a highly refined sense of writing technique linger here and you will soon be offended. You see, as a child, I pioneered dyslexia and was on Ritalin when it was experimental. My freshman English teacher in college returned my first paper with "your literacy level is incredulous" boldly sketched across the heavily marked up face. Thanks to computers, secretaries, spell checkers (not always a friend) and now Grammarly, I have hobbled along. So why would someone so handicapped bother to write, let alone share the product? The answer is simple: I feel I have something to say. So why should I be silent for fear of a misplaced comma here and there, an unclear antecedent or preposition out of place? No, if you read here, you have to approach it as one does primitive art, finding redemption in the unrefined honesty of presentation, appreciating the outsized effort involved in creating the humble product, and the courage it takes to present it for public scrutiny. If you are still here great! Hope you find something worthwhile. PS There are a few items here written by others. Where that is the case it is noted.