Amateur astronomy in the space age

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This paper is the written record of an invited lecture at the Annual Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science at Belfast, 24–28 August 1987. After defining amateur astronomy, I go through the subjects of chief interest to amateur observers, taking the divisions of the British Astronomical Association as a guide. Some of these topics are discussed in a little detail, namely observations of Earth satellites, variable stars and novae, and occultations of the Moon, planets and asteroids. Other topics touched on briefly include the Sun, comets, the aurora, meteors, fireballs, astronomical computing and the history of astronomy.