The Current State of Amateur Initiatives in the Field of Astronomy

The article examines the features of amateur astronomy and various initiatives and shows the connection between amateur science and professional science. The research analyzes scientific publications of Russian and foreign authors on various initiatives of amateur astronomy. A total of 500 publications were studied. The method of analysis is content analysis. The purpose of the study is to examine the current state of amateur astronomical initiatives and analyze how such initiatives are related to professional research. Relying on the analysis of publications, we have identified three types that characterize the current state of amateur astronomical initiatives and interactions between professional scientists and amateurs. Each type has its specifics of communication and organization of amateur communities. It is also characterized by a certain degree of openness or closeness of such communities. Also, the study analyzes the specifics of the development of amateur astronomy. Amateur astronomy is considered as one of the oldest areas of active cooperation between professional scientists and enthusiastic researchers. The study shows that such amateur initiatives are of great importance for the applied sector of science, the development of new ideas and progress in the scientific field.