---
title: "Amateur astronomy"
chunk: 1/4
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_astronomy"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:13:07.303431+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing, studying, or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, telescopes, and other gadgets. Although scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers contribute to citizen science by monitoring variable stars, double stars, sunspots, and occultations of stars by the Moon or asteroids, as well as by discovering transient astronomical events, such as comets, galactic novae or supernovae in other galaxies.
Amateur astronomers do not use the field of astronomy as their primary source of income or support, as well as typically having no professional degree in astrophysics or advanced academic training in the subject.  Most amateur astronomers are hobbyists, while others have a high degree of experience in astronomy and may often assist and work alongside professional astronomers. Many astronomers have studied the sky throughout history in an amateur framework; however, since the beginning of the twentieth century, professional astronomy has become a clearly distinguished activity from amateur astronomy and associated activities.
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 observe the sky using nothing more than their eyes or binoculars, while more dedicated amateurs often use portable telescopes or telescopes situated in their private or club observatories. However, light pollution has made amateur astronomy increasingly difficult to observe celestial objects, as sky glow washes out darkness and minimizes visibility. Amateurs commonly join amateur astronomical societies, which can advise, educate, or guide individuals towards ways of finding and observing celestial objects. Astronomical societies also promote the science of astronomy among the general public. 

== Objectives ==

Collectively, amateur astronomers observe a variety of celestial objects and phenomena.  Common targets of amateur astronomers include the Sun, the Moon, planets, stars, comets, meteor showers, and a variety of deep sky objects such as star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae.  Amateur astronomers purse their work in order to educate the public, make contributions to the scientific world, and express their passion. Many amateurs like to specialize in observing particular objects, types of objects, or types of events which interest them.
One branch of amateur astronomy, amateur astrophotography, involves the taking of photos of the night sky.  Astrophotography has become more popular with the introduction of far easier to use equipment including digital cameras, DSLR cameras and relatively sophisticated purpose built high quality CCD cameras and CMOS cameras.
Most amateur astronomers work at visible wavelengths, but a small minority experiment with wavelengths outside the visible spectrum. An early pioneer of radio astronomy was Grote Reber, an  amateur astronomer who constructed the first purpose-built radio telescope in the late 1930s to follow up on the discovery of radio wavelength emissions from space by Karl Jansky. Non-visual amateur astronomy includes the use of infrared filters on conventional telescopes, and also the use of radio telescopes.  Some amateur astronomers use home-made radio telescopes, while others use radio telescopes that were originally built for astronomical research but have since been made available for use by amateurs. The One-Mile Telescope is one such example.
Sidewalk astronomy — the practice of setting up telescopes for public viewing — aims at educating and engaging the public with astronomy. In addition to increasing interest in astronomy and science in general, sidewalk astronomy raises awareness of light pollution issues.

== History ==
The history of amateur astronomy dates back to early civilizations where the practice of observing celestial objects became a device that assisted in predicting atmospheric patterns to help enable proactive decisions on developing agriculture. Civilizations like the Babylonians, Chaldeans, and ancient Egyptians created calendars, predicted eclipse dates, and separated day and night through ancient amateur astronomers using simple tools and the naked eye to track celestial bodies. Popularizing in the mid-nineteenth century, amateur astronomy gained millions of participants evolving from wealthy "Grand Amateurs" and the more accessible equipment after World War II. 

== Common tools ==

Amateur astronomers use a range of instruments to study the sky, depending on a combination of their interests and resources.  Methods include simply looking at the night sky with the naked eye, using binoculars, and using a variety of optical telescopes of varying power and quality, as well as additional sophisticated equipment, such as cameras, to study light from the sky in both the visual and non-visual parts of the spectrum. To further improve studying the visual and non-visual part of the spectrum, amateur astronomers go to rural areas to get away from light pollution. Commercial telescopes are available, new and used, but it is also common for amateur astronomers to build (or commission the building of) their own custom telescopes.  Some people even focus on amateur telescope making as their primary interest within the hobby of amateur astronomy. More advanced methods of locating objects in the sky include telescope mounts with setting circles, which allow pointing to targets in the sky using celestial coordinates, and GOTO telescopes, which are fully automated telescopes that are capable of locating objects on demand (having first been calibrated).

=== Simple equipment ===
Although specialized and experienced amateur astronomers tend to acquire more specialized and powerful equipment over time, relatively simple equipment is often preferred for certain tasks. Binoculars, for instance, although generally of lower power than the majority of telescopes, also tend to provide a wider field of view and are more portable, which is preferable for looking at some objects in the night sky. Recent smartphone models have a "night mode" option when taking pictures that allows users to increase exposure, which refers to the period of time the picture is being taken. This optimizes focus on light in the frame which is why it is used primarily at night.