Whats an amateur astronomer?

split and moved to general...

~Al

Dave - you're bang on. I see what you're saying now.

I agree - if someone just curls up at the fire and reads a mag but does nothing more, then I personally would find it hard to call them an 'amateur astronomer'. They would have to 'contribute' in some way to earn the moniker. I think contribute means sharing and communicating information and knowledge to the community.

But your exception (someone who observes but doesn't share) is an interesting one too. Hmmm.. Food for thought.

Doncha just love this forum

Cheers!
Dave

I think that to qualify for the status "amateur astronomer", one has to observe / study the sky. If that is through a pc monitor then so be it. As soon as someone looks upward and takes an "active interest" then I reckon they become an amateur astronomer.

There are a number of "threads" here (as I see it). What qualifies one as an astronomer, What qualifies one as an amateur, what qualifies one as professional. A quick trawl of dictonary(s) and thesauruses (thesauri) on the holy internet yields a fine catch of which the following please me most.

An astronomer is one demonstarating an active interest in matters astronomical.

An amateur One engaging in a pursuit but lacking professional skill. However I particularly like "Upper-class Englishmen in the 19th cent. used the concept to help define their social status, first applying the term to sportsmen who did not need to work with their hands as livelihood, later using it to describe anyone who competed without pay." (great quote is it not.)

A ProfessionalA skilled practitioner; Having or showing great skill; expert: Performed by persons receiving pay.

So Professionals get paid and are skilled. Amateurs are - at best - defined with reference to not being profesionals!!!

In the end its probably a state of mind. Why we do things is internal and can only be communicated vaguely. What we do and how we do it at least forms a record that we can guage objectively. If something has an intrinsic quality it will speak for us now and in the future. Profesionals understand this - intrinsically; amateurs understand it - less so - but on a sliding scale!!!.

Personally I see myself as a profesional amateur and leave it at that.

JMP

The root of amateur is, I believe, based on the Frnech word- Amor - love. Well, that was the original meaning.

The professional I referred to above interestingly admits to be a professional astronomer, but only in the field(s) he is qualified in. He readily admits to being an amateur observer. He further elaborates and states that there are many 'amateurs' in the field who, given their expertise in their field of study, would be on a par with the professional astronomer. And he categorically states that professional astronomers are, on the whole, poorly paid.

As for the dinition of professional, are each of the definitions seperated by a tacit 'or'? If so, you can be a professional (having or showing great skill) but not get paid...

I see myself as an amateur professional

Dave

Oh dear - based on that criteria Dave, the fact that I haven't been to Goodison for over a year discounts me from being a supporter...

Yeah - another Everton supporter - good on ya.

I never thought of myself as an amatuer astronomer until I bought my first scope and started spending every decent night outside. For years I'd been spending my time reading on Astrophysics, Cosmology, Astronomy, and all the related physics and quantum mechanics, however it never entered my head that I was an amateur astronomer.
I would stand by the definition that an amateur astronomer is someone who observes (for whatever reason - the physics or the sheer beauty of it), if all you do is read about it then you merely have an interest, you are not really participating, and therefore don't really warrant the title. I'm not belittling the reader, but theres a big difference between reading about other's experiences and having those experiences for yourself. Observation is no small part of Astronomy (particularly Amateur Astronomy).