Amateur astronomy

From ArticleWorld

Amateur astronomy is a section of the larger field of astronomy that is devoted to hobbyist that enjoy the observation of celestial objects. This field is normally practised during the night when celestial objects are most easily visible but can be done in the day when events such as solar eclipses and sunspots occur. Most hobbyist normally view the sky with nothing more than their naked eyes but some do use other tools such asportable telescopes and binoculars.

Scientific research

Although scientific research is not a major goal for most amateur astronomers they are often able to contribute greatly to the knowledge of celestial objects. Astronomy is one of the few remaining sciences in which amateurs can contribute significantly. Most contributions fall into the area of data collection as there are quite possibly many amateurs with small telescopes as opposed to professional astronomers with few large telescopes available.

Amateurs can be of assistence in the monitoring of the changes in the brightness of stars, tracking of asteroids and the observation of astronomical events such as occultations. In the past amateur astronomers were the main discoverers of comets but with the advent of new technology this process is now automated with detection of the comets before they are visible to the amateurs.

Societies

There are many societies that are available to the amateur astronomer and these serve as places for people interested in the subject to meet and interact. The societies vary widely in their goals dependent on the conditions in the area as well as other considerations such as the size and membership of the society. Some activities for these societies include star parties and amateur telescope making.