what are amateurs actually doing?

hi,

short introduction: I am about to pick up my astronomy hobby again (left it
about 15 years ago, when I went to university to study math). Hopefully my
scope will be here within a week, and I am really looking forward to it:
stugying mars of course, but in general, I look forward to a winter full of
dark crisp skies.

I have a phd in math, but I am not a science professional (left university
after I got my phd, now I work for a large bank). I enjoy my current work
very much, but I never lost my interest in science (in fact, I published an
article on chromosome structures, together with my twin brother, in
"Science" last year). I enjoy astronomy as a hobby as it is abstract and so
close to real science.

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 :-)

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

Hi:

Some are, some aren't. Many amateurs enjoy contributing through ALPO, AAVSO,
asteroid hunting, supernova hunting, etc. Others just like to bumble around
seeing the sights, which is what I do most of the time. :-)


Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of _Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope_
Like SCTs and MCTs?
Check-out sct-user, the mailing list for CAT fanciers!
Goto http://members.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index.html

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.

In article , username wrote:
[...]
I have a phd in math, but I am not a science professional (left university
after I got my phd, now I work for a large bank). I enjoy my current work
very much, but I never lost my interest in science (in fact, I published an
article on chromosome structures, together with my twin brother, in
"Science" last year).

Ooh -- congratulations! Could you reveal your name (or your brother's)
so we can look them up?

I enjoy astronomy as a hobby as it is abstract and so close to real science.

That's funny -- someone in another thread was calling astronomy abstract too.
It seems awfully concrete to me. But I like it very much, as an observer
an an amateur physicist.

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 :-)

One thing I enjoy is observing asteroid (and occasionally lunar)
occultations. It's not necessarily demanding in terms of equipment --
a modest telescope, a WWV shortwave receiver for time signals, and
a tape recorder, is enough for visual work. More ambitious observers
get a sensitive video camera and a portable video deck (often a camcorder).

With reasonable numbers of observers sprinkled along a shadow path,
they can measure accurate sizes and shapes of asteroids, and can hope to
detect asteroidal satellites. If you're mobile you can observe lots of these,
and even non-mobile observers like me can usefully try for one every
few months. I've tried for seven or eight and actually seen two
asteroidal occultations, plus a couple of spectacular lunar grazes.

Stuart Levy

Realize though that while some worthwhile science contributions can
be done in observational astronomy, some of us (me included) just
enjoy the sights without getting involved in the note taking and
computations....great hobby...something for everyone, and every taste.
So you might consider the hobby from that aspect.
Clear Skies,
Tom W.





username wrote:
hi,

short introduction: I am about to pick up my astronomy hobby again (left it
about 15 years ago, when I went to university to study math). Hopefully my
scope will be here within a week, and I am really looking forward to it:
stugying mars of course, but in general, I look forward to a winter full of
dark crisp skies.

I have a phd in math, but I am not a science professional (left university
after I got my phd, now I work for a large bank). I enjoy my current work
very much, but I never lost my interest in science (in fact, I published an
article on chromosome structures, together with my twin brother, in
"Science" last year). I enjoy astronomy as a hobby as it is abstract and so
close to real science.

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 :-)

"username" e-mail@adress wrote in message
...
hi,

short introduction: I am about to pick up my astronomy hobby again (left
it
about 15 years ago, when I went to university to study math). Hopefully my
scope will be here within a week, and I am really looking forward to it:
stugying mars of course, but in general, I look forward to a winter full
of
dark crisp skies.

I have a phd in math, but I am not a science professional (left university
after I got my phd, now I work for a large bank). I enjoy my current work
very much, but I never lost my interest in science (in fact, I published
an
article on chromosome structures, together with my twin brother, in
"Science" last year). I enjoy astronomy as a hobby as it is abstract and
so
close to real science.

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 :-)

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.

Just MHO.

Cheers,
Larry G.

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.

username posted:

I enjoy astronomy as a hobby as it is abstract and so
close to real science.

As a hobby, it can be *real* science (variable star observing, supernova
hunting, GRB followup observations, asteroid search and astrometry ect.).
However, as you note, it can also be a enjoyable hobby involving just "sight
seeing".

My question: are amateur astronomers actually contributing to science
(besides shooting nice images!), and if so, how?

In addition to the above fields, there is one area which many amateurs are
contributing to in a big way: public outreach. There is a real need to keep
the public educated and informed about Astronomy, one which is not often
well-filled by the professionals. Amateurs do things such as provide public
viewing nights and programs, using themselves and their equipment as resources
to reach as many in the general public as possible. They staff public
observatories, hold demonstrations such as Astronomy Day, and help school
groups and other organizations who express an interest in the heavens. Such
outreach not only helps to maintain Astronomy's support via public funding,
but helps to educate and inspire our young people to continue the quest for
knowledge in the future. Clear skies to you.
--
David W. Knisely
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

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* July 27-Aug. 1st, 2003, Merritt Reservoir *
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"username" e-mail@adress wrote in message
...
hi,

short introduction: I am about to pick up my astronomy hobby again (left
it
about 15 years ago, when I went to university to study math). Hopefully my
scope will be here within a week, and I am really looking forward to it:
stugying mars of course, but in general, I look forward to a winter full
of
dark crisp skies.

I have a phd in math, but I am not a science professional (left university
after I got my phd, now I work for a large bank). I enjoy my current work
very much, but I never lost my interest in science (in fact, I published
an
article on chromosome structures, together with my twin brother, in
"Science" last year). I enjoy astronomy as a hobby as it is abstract and
so
close to real science.

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 :-)

Great topic...I'd very much like to know where/what I can do with my 8'' Dob
do something really useful.

BV.