Being this is a typical response of many amateurs to the idea of doing
scientific observations, I wonder, why so many have an attitude problem when
it comes to contributing to science? (This is a general observation, not a
personal attack)

There is no reason the recreation and the science have to do battle. They
should complement each other. When observing beautiful DSO, just diverge for
a minute and measure a nearby variable. Many times star hopping to your
favorite object will take you right by a variable that badly needs
observations. Likewise, when observing meteor showers, why not take a little
extra time to learn where the radiants of the different showers are, and
count them. That alone contributes a lot to meteor science. When enjoying a
new comet, learn how to estimate its total brightness and submit your
observations to the ICQ. Then there is timing asteroidal and lunar
occultations, searching for supernovae in galaxies, going after GRB
afterglows, counting sunspots.

All of these areas have researchers working on important theoretical
questions, and they need data. They dont have the telescope time to do
anywhere near the observations needed. The amateur contributes so much,way
more than commonly believed. Many amateurs are co-authors of papers in major
publications. They need not have big observatories with advanced CCDs
either. Everyone from naked eye on up has a place they can fit in and do
their part to further science, and with very little pain beyond taking a
little time to learn the basics about contributing.

Just do it. Education not ignorance.

Primary sites to go to contribute to:

Variable stars - www.aavso.org vsnet.kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp/vsnet/index.html
Meteors - www.imo.net www.namnmeteors.org
Comets - groups.yahoo.com/group/comets-ml/
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/icq/icq.html
Occultations - lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm


LarryG wrote in message ...

Does it really matter if amateurs are contributing to science?
Speaking solely for myself, the hobby is both recreational and
spiritual. Star-gazing is how I relax, pause to ponder and meditate.
Contributing to science sounds like work, which is decidedly not
recreational.

The only contribution most amateurs make is becoming scientifically
literate citizens, less prone to fall for pseudo-scientific clap-trap.