What it takes to be an amateur astronomer?

Question

I would like to be an amateur astronomer. I haven't taken any steps though. Any advice/tips would be appreciated?

Answer 1

Astronomy's a huge subject so it's difficult to define what an "amateur astronomer" is. I know some people who do nothing but read about it, while others spend all their free time making observations and submitting their data to research programs. Assuming you want to do something practical, you can do things like variable star or meteor observing with nothing more than your naked eyes and a notebook. A pair of binoculars will give you more variables to look at, and a telescope will give you even more.

You could use a small 'scope and do some solar work by projecting the sun's image onto a white card and observing sunspots.

If you want to have a go at imaging, you could start with a webcam and a small 'scope or a camera lens. People like Eric Ng and Damien Peach are producing some amazing work with quite simple equipment.

A fun thing to do in a group is observing grazing occultations - when a star is only just occulted by the moon. The list goes on....

Answer 2

Apart from a telescope you need a location away from big cities because the light coming from the city will blur your vision of the sky. You must be able to see the milky way with the naked eye.

Answer 3

Here is what we teach at our observatory ..

most important is get to know the sky second good telescope !! 8 inch dobsonian will get you far out in the night sky .

also we print out this for begginers ..

http://skytonight.com/howto/basics

Answer 4

A love of the night sky!