Amateur astronomers can make useful contributions to the study of comets. They add temporal coverage and multiscale observations that can aid the study of fast-changing and large-scale comet features. We document and review the amateur observing campaign set up to complement the Rosetta space mission, including the data submitted to date, and consider the campaign’s effectiveness in the light of experience from previous amateur comet campaigns. We report the results of surveys of campaign participants, the amateur astronomy community, and schools who participated in a comet 46P observing campaign. We draw lessons for future campaigns, which include the need for clarity of objectives; recognizing the wider impact campaigns can have on increasing science capital; clear, consistent, timely, and tailored guidance; easy upload procedures with built-in quality control; and regular communication, feedback, and recognition.

业余天文学家可以为彗星的研究做出有益的贡献。它们增加了时间覆盖范围和多尺度观测，可以帮助研究快速变化的大规模彗星特征。我们记录并审查了为补充罗塞塔号太空飞行任务而建立的业余观测活动，包括迄今为止提交的数据，并根据以前的业余彗星活动的经验来考虑活动的有效性。我们报告了对参与彗星46P观测活动的运动参与者，业余天文学界和学校的调查结果。我们为未来的运动吸取教训，其中包括需要明确目标；认识到运动可以对增加科学资本产生更广泛的影响；清晰，一致，及时和量身定制的指南；带有内置质量控制的简单上传程序；并定期进行沟通，反馈和认可。