I have a confession to make. I spend a lot of time at the Astronomy offices here in Waukesha, Wisconsin. As the magazine’s copy editor, most of my interaction with the astronomy community comes from comments on the website, e-mails I receive, and the occasional phone conversation. I’ve talked with many high school and college students about working in the magazine industry for a science publication, but most aren’t subscribers. So, it’s a treat when I get to spend face-to-face time with actual readers of the magazine.
Last night, I drove 125 miles north to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to spend an evening with the Neville Public Museum Astronomical Society (NPMAS). Its members were gracious enough to let me give them a behind-the-scenes look at the process of putting together Astronomy magazine each month, as well as to explain what goes into managing Astronomy.com and the different programs we offer to readers and clubs throughout the year (contests, outreach, and the like). To my pleasant surprise, they actually seemed to enjoy my odd passion for the printed word and the intricacies of the Web, as well as details of the staff’s best attempts to stay sane in a sometimes insane job.
Like many of us at the magazine, I sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day work of making sure Astronomy is the best it can be that I forget there’s an outside world of readers who notice the staff’s collective efforts. Or that people out there are as impressed with my colleagues’ thoughtful articles, beautiful illustrations, and clever videos as I am. So seeing the smiling faces of passionate hobbyists like the members of NPMAS gave me a renewed appreciation for our jobs here at the magazine: We’re not just posting a news story to the website or editing a science feature; we’re helping create a product that tens of thousands of people enjoy reading every day. Our work becomes an important part of their experience under the stars.
During a particularly stressful day, it’s easy to forget this, but it’s awesome when these amazing people in astronomy clubs like NPMAS don’t mind spending time with me as a reminder. So, while I enjoyed giving a presentation about life at the Astronomy offices to the NPMAS members, they, in turn, gave me so much more.