Has received a Knighthood for his contributions to science. Optics 1935- O'Meara, Stephen James Prolific writer and extremely skillful observer who contributes much to visual astronomy by sharing his talents in the form of books and articles. Parker, Donald Famous Floridian amateur specializing in spectacular Film and now CCD images of the planets. His work permeates many publications. He discovered many comets and was a prolifci variable star observer.
Every amateur has a similar story to tell although probably a bit scaled down.
Deceased Sagan, Carl Professional astronomer and planetary scientist who inspired a whole generation of amateurs with his early 1980's 14-part series Cosmos . Schoemaker, Carolyn Wife of Gene Shoemaker and comet discoverer with several comets and asteroids to her credit. A line of high-end, high quality Dobsonian mounted truss tube telescopes. Ting, Ed Owns and operates a well-known equipment review web site. Carl Mirror producer who has gained a worldwide reputation for superior quality mirrors.