Amateur astronomy
hideAmateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky (and the day sky too, for sunspots, eclipses, etc.), and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars. Even though scientific research is not their main goal, many amateur astronomers make a contribution to astronomy by monitoring variable stars, tracking asteroids and discovering transient objects, such as comets. Such efforts are one of the relatively few ways interested amateurs can still make useful contributions to scientific knowledge.
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News tagged with amateur astronomers
Tweeting Shooting Stars
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Aug 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
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Amateur astronomers across the UK are preparing to tweet the world’s first mass participation meteor star party, as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). Led by Newbury Astronomical Society, the Twitter ...
Expanding Spot on Venus Puzzles Astronomers
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Aug 04, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (30) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The expanding spot discovered on Venus last month may not have garnered as much attention as the meteor impact with Jupiter, but its cause is certainly more puzzling. ...
What Hit Jupiter?
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Aug 03, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (15) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It began with a furrowed brow, a moment of puzzlement, quickly dismissed.
Moonship Photographed by Backyard Astronomers
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 10, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
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On June 29th, neighbors of Paul Mortfield in Ontario, Canada, heard "cheers of excitement" coming from the astronomer's house. What caused the commotion?
Space Station Marathon
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 06, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (4) |
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The International Space Station (ISS) is about to make a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning this 4th of July weekend, the station will appear once, twice, and sometimes three times ...
Space Station Construction Visible in Backyard Telescopes
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Mar 17, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
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Talk about a big construction project...
NASA's SkyView Delivers the Multiwavelength Cosmos
Feb 04, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Some three million times a year, researchers, educators, and amateur astronomers all over the world ask NASA's SkyView virtual observatory to serve up images of some interesting corner of ...
Amateur Astronomers See Perseids Hit the Moon
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 03, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (18) |
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One, the old-fashioned way: Find a dark place with starry skies and count the meteors streaking overhead. Two, the new way: Find a dark place with starry skies and then completely ignore the meteors. Instead, ...
