Amateur astronomy is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the sky, and the abundance of objects found in it with the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research is not their main goal, many amateur astronomers make a contribution to astronomy by monitoring variable stars, tracking asteroids and discovering transient objects, such as comets and novae.

The Amateur Astronomer was a four-page bulletin published between 1929 and 1935 by the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York. C. S. Brainin was the first editor; a section called "Meteor Notes" was edited by Virginia Geiger starting in 1933.