I believe that everyone here has included some very valid points that help us to define what we really call an amateur astronomer. Here is my own definition of what I consider to be an amateur astronomer:
- A person who has a genuine interest or passion for astronomy as a whole and who engages in astronomy related activities like observing, whether with the naked eye or fancy equipment, or in the pursuit of knowledge of the heavens in order to gain a better understanding of our place in the universe
- A person that contributes to the science of astronomy through their own observations and data collection voluntary and without pay
- A person who has a deep respect for the scientific field of astronomy but who is not actually engaged in a research career
- And of course, the most important criteria of all in order to be considered an amateur astronomer is that you are also a member of this forum
In regards to Dave's post (Dave47tuc), your descriptions of your activities lead me to believe that you are more of an amateur astronomer than you believe yourself to be. The results you obtained from your meteor an occultation work is a significant contribution to the astronomy field. It may not be ground breaking research but the data gathered from people like you certainly does help other professional astronomers who work for those institutions to which you send in your data gain a better understanding of the universe. I do however, really like your thoughts on us being Astrotravellers. We are in essence, travelling to farway worlds by doing something as simple as gazing up to the stars. That is the core of astronomy because if people back in ancient times had not looked up at the stars, astronomy as a science would falter or perhaps not have existed at all. These ancient cultures are considered to be the very first astronomers which includes peoples like the Egyptians, the Persians and the Chinese.
However, this raises the question as to whether or not they were amateurs or professionals. This then brings me to the point that the scientific method, or the birth of modern science, is what helps us to define what a professional astronomer is. Without astronomy having a research related presence in science, there can be no professionals so then we must all be amateurs. Hence, the birth of modern science is what made the defining boundary between amateur and professional. What consitutes as a professional astronomer is clear - they are the ones doing the major scientific, groundbreaking research into the theories and laws that make up the universe. So if you are not directly involved in this, than you are by all means, an amateur astronomer, just like in ancient times. This is not to say that amateurs are scientifically inept but that they are not scientifically oriented. Instead, we enjoy astronomy on a different level in a way that connects the heavens with our emotions as well as stimulating our minds.
So for simplicity's sake, I would say that you and I are amateur astronomers. If someone asked me if I was an amateur, I would fervently say YES, of course I am, rather than bog them down with the many different levels of amateur astronomer classifications.
In the end, both amateurs and professionals have a common purpose: we aim to understand who we are, what our place is among the stars and we aim to gain as much knowledge from this grand universe of ours the best way we can.