Amateur astronomy

"Amateur astronomer", "Popular astronomy", "Skygazing", and "Stargazing" redirect here. For the magazine, see The Amateur Astronomer. For Buddhist practice, see Sky gazing (Dzogchen). For other uses, see Stargazing (disambiguation) and Popular Astronomy (disambiguation).

Amateur astronomers watch the night sky during the Perseid meteor shower.

Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers make contributions in doing citizen science, such as by monitoring variable stars,[1] double stars,[2] sunspots,[3] or occultations of stars by the Moon[4] or asteroids,[4] or by discovering transient astronomical events, such as comets,[5] galactic novae[6] or supernovae in other galaxies.[7]

Amateur astronomers do not use the field of astronomy as their primary source of income or support, and usually have no professional degree in astrophysics or advanced academic training in the subject. Most amateurs are hobbyists, while others have a high degree of experience in astronomy and may often assist and work alongside professional astronomers.[8] Many astronomers have studied the sky throughout history in an amateur framework; however, since the beginning of the twentieth century, professional astronomy has become an activity clearly distinguished from amateur astronomy and associated activities.[9]

Amateur astronomers typically view the sky at night, when most celestial objects and astronomical events are visible, but others observe during the daytime by viewing the Sun and solar eclipses. Some just look at the sky using nothing more than their eyes or binoculars, but more dedicated amateurs often use portable telescopes or telescopes situated in their private or club observatories. Amateurs also join amateur astronomical societies, which can advise, educate or guide them towards ways of finding and observing celestial objects. They also promote the science of astronomy among the general public.[10]

  1. ^ "American Association of Variable Star Observers : The AAVSO Research Portal". Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  2. ^ Heintz, W. D. (1978). Double Stars. D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht. pp. 4–10. ISBN 90-277-0885-1.
  3. ^ Wilkinson, John (2012). New Eyes on the Sun: A Guide to Satellite Images and Amateur Observation. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-642-22839-1.
  4. ^ a b "International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) : Introduction to Observing Occultations". Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  5. ^ Clay Sherrod, P. Clay; Koed, Thomas L. (1981). A Complete Manual of Amateur Astronomy: Tools and Techniques for Astronomical Observations. Courier Corporation. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-486-15216-5.
  6. ^ Marsden, B.G. (1988). Dunlop, Storm; Gerbaldi, Michèle (eds.). Stargazers : The Contribution of Amateurs to Astronomy : Amateur Astronomers and the IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams and Minor Planet Center. Springer-Verlag. p. 68. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-74020-6. ISBN 978-3-540-50230-2.
  7. ^ Zuckerman, Ben; Malkan, Matthew A. (1996). The Origin and Evolution of the Universe. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 68. ISBN 0-7637-0030-4.
  8. ^ "Sky & Telescope : Pro-Am Collaboration". Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  9. ^ Meadows, A.J. (1988). Dunlop, Storm; Gerbaldi, Michèle (eds.). Stargazers : The Contribution of Amateurs to Astronomy : Twentieth-Century Amateur Astronomers. Springer-Verlag. p. 20. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-74020-6. ISBN 978-3-540-50230-2.
  10. ^ Motta, M. (2006). "Contributions of Amateur Astronomy to Education". Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. 35 (1): 257. Bibcode:2006JAVSO..35..257M.