Orateur
Description
The „Vereinigung der Sternfreunde e. V.“ (VdS; Association of German Amateur Astronomers) assembles more than 4,000 amateur astronomers and more than 100 astronomy clubs and observatories in Germany and adjacent regions. In its 20 special interest groups, more than 1,300 active amateurs are practicing astronomy on all levels, up to and including regular Pro-Am cooperations.
However, there is still a lot of untapped technical potential and experience for time-critical and/or broad follow-up observations of transient phenomena, especially in the optical domain. Reasons include a broad unawareness about systems like Astro-COLIBRI on the one hand and about systematic Pro-Am follow-up programs on the other hand.
Possible next steps to increase awareness and participation will be discussed.