Quote:
Originally posted by redarrow
You dont see a little sticker on your computer saying "This was made based on the technology of NASA"
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That's because NASA doesn't have to advertise. Although not the main point of astronomy to anyone who does it, there are actually a lot of technological spinoffs. Admittedly, this mostly comes from space travel, which isn't really astronomy in the sense of this thread.
I don't want to get into a rant on the fundamental value of knowledge, but arguments can be made that this sort of fundamental research is useful to the average person in the sense you're discussing. The equipment needed to make astronomical measurements usually requires a lot of new technology that often ends up being adopted by engineers later on.
Also, fundamental physics is often tested using astronomy because we don't have the technology to perform any direct experiments. What was considered completely "useless" physics 70 years ago is now used to develop computer chips among other things. Everything is connected in physics.