Most days in the life of an astronomer aren't spent at telescopes
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - 07:50
in Earth & Climate
On a telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, it's not easy to put in a full night of work. At 14,000 feet, you're operating at only 60% of the oxygen available at sea level, which makes concentrating difficult. Top that off with a shift that begins at 6:30 pm and ends at 6:30 am, and it becomes hard to imagine astronomers working like that year-round. Luckily, most of us don't have to.