Amateurs have been neglected in accounts of the rise of new specialties In
science. This paper examines seven key amateurs and their relationship to the
growth of astrophysics over a sixty-year period. These amateurs, five Britons and
two Americans, are seen as the risk-takers of the new specialty. They pioneered
m the application of photography and the use of reflecting telescopes, and
amassed an Important body of observational material in such areas as
spectroscopy While they shared most aspects of the discipline with
professionals, including access to publications, honours and awards, and the
governance of scientific societies, they differed from professionals in significant
ways. Because amateurs were free to take risks they sometimes came into
conflict with professionals. When this happened differences between the two
were magnified. By about 1,90D astrophysics reached a stage where It was no
longer possible for amateurs to compete. Neither wealth nor leisure could take
the place of specialized training to provide access to increasingly sophisticated
technologies.
