Hi David.
I guess the question that arises in my mind, is, are the pro's asking for help? asking for collaboration? Or is it the amateurs who are knocking on the door of the pros, saying "i've done this, is this helpful" or "how can I help?".
The difference there is, in the latter it's a matter of time - the amateurs time to actually do the research, analysis, etc and then go finding the pros who might be interested in what they've done.
If it was the former, ie: the pros asking for amateurs to assist, they'd probably get a lot more submissions/contributions because the amateurs would
know that their work is required and would be valuable - instead of
hoping that it might be valuable.
Alex made some very good points as well as to why more amateurs may not take that extra step into doing more scientific work with their astronomy, rather than just observing the sky. A lot of it could simply come down to time. We all lead very busy lives, with work, family etc and a lot of the scientific work is very time-based.. ie: it has to be done at a certain time, or has to be done over a long time. A lot of us probably just can't commit to a schedule like that.
Another factor is equipment. Systematic observations or images may need to be done with moderate to high end equipment with very accurate tracking, perhaps high-end imaging gear, not to mention time spent analysing or processing the data obtained. Those with an observatory are immediately better placed as well, because they don't have the hassle with setup, alignment etc.
Everyone is in this hobby for their own reasons - for some it's just to casually observe the sky and it's wonders, and for others they get more involved, observe every chance they get, others it's for astrophotography and taking pretty pictures, and then for others there's the science aspect of it and how they can contribute to astronomy science. It's a pretty small astronomical community in Australia as it is, and I guess once you divide it into the various groups there's not too many left in that last category.
Personally, I don't have the time to seek out how I could contribute in many of the forms of astronomy science. With a full time job, wife and family with 3 young kids, and a forum
, I don't get a lot of spare time. I know some of the guys are doing great work with occultations and timings etc, and it's an area I could probably contribute with the equipment I have, but again it's a matter of time - I don't have the flexibility to go out observing these events at the time they're on - and it almost always involves travelling, which then takes me away from the family.
For my part, I submit my planetary images to groups like ALPO and the BAA for scientific study - especially of Jupiter. These groups study images from amateurs to analyse the jet streams and other phenomenem and try to work out Jupiter's dynamic atmosphere. They rely on contributions from amateurs because it's so rare for them to get observing time on the large professional telescopes. So I'm happy that in doing what I love, planetary imaging, that I can also contribute in some way to planetary science - a definite area of interest to me.
I hope my thoughts are relevant in some way to the article you're writing. I'll be keen to attend NACAA next year, so I look forward to meeting you there and hearing your presentation!