Expert: Harry Hayfield - 11/12/2011

Question
Several of my friends and I have a lot of interest in astronomy and wish to get into backyard astronomy.  In the past I have spent time looking at what I could with very cheap telescopes or binoculars.  I always wished there was more I could do besides simply look.

My question is this:  Is there anything to do in the way of backyard astronomy beyond simply looking at things?  Is there any way a person, on a tight budget, can make some kind of discovery or contribution to the science?

Answer
Absolutely! There are loads of projects where they ask ordinary astronomers (armed very often with nothing more complex than a pair of binoculars) to look out for certain things which when gathered together with other information can lead to a whole new discovery.

For instance, next June, there will be a transit of Venus which starts at 2210 UTC on June 5th and ends at 0445 UTC on June 6th. If you happen to live in a place where you can see the sun during those hours, then you can register with any number of organisations and say "I am in a position to note the exact time of first and last contact of the transit, may I help with any investigation?"