This is an interesting trend, which is also happening in other fields such as genomics. Many sciences started off as amateur pursuits before they became profess

This is an interesting trend, which is also happening in other fields such as genomics. Many sciences started off as amateur pursuits before they became professionalized. Technological advances are allowing some of these fields to move back in favour of the amateur. This opens up some nice possibilities for the serious hobbyist; it's surely more satisfying to conduct some original research than to waste time on the web or playing video games. Personally, astronomy has always been an escape from the electronic world for me, so I've never been drawn to the imaging side with its CCD cameras and computer equipment. But I do know a couple of people who really love it, and they certainly find it rewarding. I'm happy to stick with my binoculars and 12" Dobsonian, but for someone with a bit of spare cash who wants the chance to make a contribution to science, the opportunities are there.