Battered by skimpy benefits and the pressure to publish, parents are calling on the professional societies to do something. The Astronomer's Disease, by William Lowell Putnam and Charles Snead Houston Air gets in the way of observing, but it's nice to have around when you're breathing. The dilemma is acute for astronomers who observe at high altitudes. Fortunately, they can avoid illness and debilitation by taking some basic precautions. The situation in ex-Yugoslavia deteriorates almost by the day.
Croatian astronomy is a happy exception.
The whole idea sounds intimidating to many teachers, but all it takes is some planning and help from local scientists. To get you involved in observing, every issue will outline a simple project and ask you to submit your findings for publication in a future issue. A hundred years ago, even 40 years ago, scientists were not so sure. In his laboratory, spectra became a way to fingerprint stars and deduce their composition. Yet for years Fowler's efforts went unrecognized, because his boss took the credit.