Tom Whiting - Space and Astronomy for Kids - Space & Astronomy for Kids - Science

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Expert Profile: Tom Whiting

Expertise: I can answer most any astronomy or astronomical question, having been in the hobby for over 50 years now, and current owner of a 30 inch portable truss Newtonian telescope, one of the largest in the Eastern USA. I use a 6 inch f4 Antares Newtonian finderscope on the back of the 30 inch mirror box. (No astrology questions please).

Experience in the area
Taught astronomy at the University level for 13 years as an adjunct instructor. Lifelong experience in hobby and subject for over 50 years now.

Organizations
President, Erie County Mobile Observers Group, Erie PA Also Allexperts.com in catagory of astronomy for over 4 years.

Publications
Astronomy Technology Today; also wrote the "Over Erie Skies" articles for our local newspaper for over 10 years.

Education/Credentials
BS, Metallurgical Engineering, Grove City College, PA Master's degree, Gannon University, Erie, PA USA Also USAF Pilot, 20 years, retired.

Awards and Honors
Discoverer of the mini-coathanger asterism up in Ursa Minor, also the mini-dipper asterism in the bowl of the Little Dipper.

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What do you like about this subject? All other subjects.....History, English, Economics, Engineering, etc... deal only with this 8000 mile diameter Rock we live on. It's only the subject of astronomy that covers the other.... 99.999999+% of the Universe, so it's a mind-expanding subject to the....rest of our environment.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field? I hope to someday discover a new nova or new comet.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know: When you are viewing a fuzzy, dim galaxy at 65 million lightyears distant, you are seeing light that left about the time the dinosaurs were dying out. Thus a telescope is a looking "back-in-time" machine.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject Many people confuse the unit....lightyear....as a unit of time. It is not. It is a unit of distance. It's the distance light will travel in a vacuum in one year, equal to about 5.8 trillion miles. A year is a unit of time.

Average Ratings
Prestige Points: 430
Knowledge	9.93 Best of the best
Clarity of Response	9.86 Best of the best
Timeliness	9.86 Best of the best
Politeness	10.0 Best of the best
Number Of Questions (in Past 24 Hours)		0
Max Questions to be Asked (in 24 Hour period)		15
Total Questions (since joining AllExperts)		40

Recent Reviews from Users

Knowl	Clarity	Time	Politeness	Date
10	10	10	10	10/08/08
10	10	10	10	09/11/08
10	10	10	10	06/10/08
10	10	10	10	05/15/08
10	10	10	10	03/02/08

User Comments

thanks it helped me a lot
(sai on 10/08/08)

Thankyou,had done google search,prompting many answers,so you put it plain and simply,appreciative.
(jackie on 09/11/08)

Now I can do Y in my Astronomy Dictionary @ School!
(Sydney on 06/10/08)

This is a great system!
(Sydney on 05/15/08)

View All Comments

Ask a Question	View Past Answers	View Ratings

Recent Answers from Tom Whiting

2008-10-04 astronaut: Hi Sai, Only if you want to pilot (fly) or command the craft in question. But for the Mission Specialist or Payload Specialist positions, there is no flight (pilot) time requirement. The specific requirements...

2008-09-26 Earth Formation: Hi Jeff, Yes. Explain to him that all matter (dirt, sand, water, air, rocks, etc.) have to be here first before any life, and all that stuff (dirt, water, air) came about, or formed up, way before life...

2008-09-10 pluto: Pluto (and Eris which is actually still bigger, way out there) is no longer considered a planet because it turned out to be just one of the larger members of an asteroid belt way out there, called the...

2008-07-23 Light: Hi Amir, Most light is not in a beam form, but goes out spherically from its source. There are 2 basic ways of examining light, and both are correct-- and accepted as fact. If you think of light...

2008-07-21 Space: Hi Amir, This is a simple re-statement of what is called "Olber's Paradox" which you can google, or go to http://www.math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/GR/olbers.html The same question was...

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