Astronomy is an accessible subject. The questions that drive astronomy forward are in many cases easily understood by the lay public: What is the age of the Universe? Where did the Earth come from? What is there in space? Why does the axis of a spinning top always point in the same direction? The public are also able to understand the research links that help to generate answers to these questions. Observing programmes at the largest telescopes collect data which in many cases provide yes and no answers to these questions based on the brightness of a set of images or the presence or otherwise of a spectral line. The answer comes as the data build up in the control room of the telescope. This paper presents a proposal for enabling the public to eavesdrop on these events and partake in the thrills of astronomy.
Communicating Astronomy, Proceedings of a meeting held at the Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, 25 February - 1 March, 2002.
