ASTRONOMY doesn’t fare too well when pursued by developing countries without
collaboration with Western countries. Research is stagnant, telescopes remain
unused and astronomers who are educated there often leave. Observatories are
regarded as little more than educational tools for children, or as political
symbols of scientific prestige. Indigenous projects often wither and die.
I’ve seen it happen. In 1993 I joined a Sri Lankan government committee whose
job was to decide what to do with a 45-centimetre reflecting telescope donated
by Japan. The panel was made up of technical experts in meteorology, computer
science and engineering. But they were more…
