[ben_w]

> how can people not know about astronomers?

Light pollution. Lots of people now live in places where the stars are hard to spot.

And now we also all have infinite distraction cuboids, many who can still see them if they look, won't look.

And if you don't know what's out there — or mistakenly categorise all of space as scifi — then why would you be curious about it? Why even ask who might research it?