It may seem like we know as much about the planets out there as we are ever likely to know. Whilst it is obvious that there will be celestial bodies out there that have hitherto gone unnoticed, making real, comprehension-changing discoveries are likely to be few and far between, right?
Well, in reality, whilst new planets, comets and other such intergalactic detritus are being found on a regular basis, even more important discoveries are being made with surprising regularity, from planets that may hold the truth to whether intelligent life really is out there to black holes and quirks much closer to home.
For those who like the idea of astronomy, but aren’t keen to simply look up at what has already been discovered, those astronomical telescopes could be far more useful than you might realise. Not only will staring up into the night sky be edifying and fascinating, but it can also be very informative too, not just to the individual but also to the scientific community and the population as a whole.
Whilst cheaper telescopes might not let you discover the new earth, they will let you see things even in our own solar system that no one has seen before, as well as potentially leading to you helping avoid a global catastrophe. Many late warning systems for asteroids, comets and other sizeable debris hitting the earth do not cover the whole night sky and the more people studying the sky with telescopes, the more likely a potential collision will be spotted in time.
So if you want to make discoveries, using astronomical telescopes might not only let you find out information we never knew, but you could also end up saving the world too. Not bad, when you think about it, for something that is seemingly just a fun pastime.