Loki

A future engineer NSX? I may end up being one as well. What field are you looking into? If I decide to be an engineer, I want to major in aeronautical/aerospace engineering. =)

I am a senior in high school. And that means that I will soon have to choose a college to go to and a major along with it. Astronomy lies at the heart of all my scientific interest and I would love to make a living of it. But is it a good idea? I know there are career books out there that give you the average salary and stuff about a career, but I'm not going to base the rest of my life off of a few paragraphs I read in a 1500 page book. So what do you guys say? Should I "risk" majoring in astronomy (or physics), or should I safeguard the rest of my life with engineering?

The 60,000 years estimate is actually the longest of a range of estimates. I think I remember reading somewhere that the correct estimate is 30,000-60,000 years. I'm not sure if I'm right, but it's still interesting to hear all the publications say 50,000 or 60,000 years, when really it could have been much less. I don't own a telescope, but I going to borrow my dad's friends house to use his! =)

cHis, I think what you need is an astronomy club/society. Most astronomy clubs are open to beginners and professionals alike. Also, working with others may be the best way to learn. I wish I could give you real first-hand advice, but I'm not in a club myself, yet. I am joining the Fort Worth Astronomical Society on September 17th (their next meeting) though. I know one person in it and he suggested that I join. Anyway, go here and see if there are any orginizations near you (be careful though, that search doesn't find EVERY club in your area, it didn't find the FWAS for me, although it does exist). Try picking up a few books that interest you. Don't get ahead of yourself and buy 10 books right away. Just start with something that looks interesting. I usually browse amazon.com if I'm looking for a book, because they have reviews and descriptions and everything. Well, good luck, I hope you pursue your interest more. Oh, and feel free to talk to me anytime 'cause I'm a beginner too. So we're in the same boat. =)

I took that too. My whole BC class of 10 people thought that the FR was very difficult. We took every released AP Calc BC test for practice in that class, and the 03 test was completely different. I nailed most of the practice exams, especially the free response sections, so I felt sick to my stomach after the 03 exam. I think I got most of the MC questions, I answered (with confidence) all but 2 questions. I don't remember exactly what I did on the FR section, but I did leave many parts completely blank. Well, needless to say, the people at ETS definitely applied a strong curve and I made a 5

Well, PS2 has FFX and Dance Dance Revolution! So PS2 wins, hehe. XBox is getting DDR soon though. I usually prefer PC over consoles though, especially for FPS games like CS or UT2k3.

I have been trying to find good science forums for a long time. These forums here look very promising and I'm glad I stumbled upon this site. On to the intoduction-- I am 17 (18 on Sept 4) years old and I am starting my senior year in high school. I live in Mansfield, Texas, but I grew up in Sandy, Utah. I'm no prodigy in math and science, but I have a deep passion for both. Most of my knowledge comes from books I read. This summer I read books like The Golden Ratio, Cosmos, A Brief History of Nearly Everything, The Elegant Universe, and a few others. I read Discover, and Astronomy magazines. This year in high school I'm taking AP Statistics, anatomy/physiology, AP Biology, AP chemistry, computer programming, and Calculus III (at University of Texas at Arlington). In September I'm joining the Fort Worth Astronomical Society. I am trying to pursue a hobby in astronomy, and hopefully purchase a telescope. I'd like to major in Astronomy in college, but I am skeptical about it because it seems like majoring in engineering (which I would also like to do) would promise me a more stable career. I guess I could go on, but I don't want to bore anyone.