Everything we know about the universe is through the observation of waves, visible radiation for the first few tens of thousands of years of our civilization, the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum in the past century or so, and gravitational waves for the past couple of years. This talk will examine the factors in making astronomical observations possible, and their evolution from the time of ancient Greece to the recent detection of gravitational waves. Specifically, we will discuss the collection of waves, their analysis and their detection, including how to optimize each observation to the 'family' of waves it aims to use, the environmental factors affecting these observational ventures and technological factors improving or deteriorating them. We will illustrate the importance of optimal planning with examples of ground-breaking observations. Finally, we will consider astronomy in Cyprus, focusing on the effects of environmental conditions and human technology on it.

 

I studied Astrophysics at Michigan State University. For my B.Sc., I was awarded the partial CASP-Fulbright scholarship jointly from the Cyprus and US governments. I graduated in May 2001 with a B.Sc. in Astrophysics and grade point average of 4.0 (perfect score). My Ph.D. thesis was entitled “Abundances and kinematics of carbon-enhanced, metal-poor stars” was awarded from the OU in August 2005.

Ever since my return to Cyprus in September 2005, I have been a Physics teacher at The G C School of Careers. I was promoted to the position of Head of Physics in September 2009 and have been in this position since. I joine the Cyprus Astronomical Society in 2010, and preparing, under its auspices, a proposal for the building of a world-class stellar telescope in Amiantos.