On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 00:03:56 +0200, "username" e-mail@adress wrote:

My question: are amateur astronomers actually contributing to science
(besides shooting nice images!), and if so, how? Perhaps a FAQ, but I am
interested, as I know from experience, that my hobbies tend to get pretty
serious over time :-)

The American Association of Variable Star Observers has members all
over the world. See http://www.aavso.org.