Culturological aspect of amateur astronomy

Amateur astronomy as a hobby is analyzed, the peculiarities of this type of occupation and its differences from professional astronomy as a science are revealed. The author focuses on the cultural practices dissolved in the activities of amateur astronomers: collecting tools, collecting books, purchasing and manufacturing the necessary equipment, artistic photography of space objects, communication in the virtual space of specialized sites and portals. The article shows the relationship between amateur astronomy and the formation of astronomical science in the Renaissance and in the 17th century: modern amateur astronomers seem to repeat the path of scientific astronomy centuries ago. Renaissance is defined as the era of a new round of development of leisure as a cultural activity, and from the leisure derived grounds for the emergence of intellectual hobbies, including astronomy. The study focuses on the features of the sensory experience of an amateur astronomer, on the dominance of aesthetic intentions in his work. Affectation, as a result of observations, makes amateur astronomy related to art (types of art culture), because it is for art, according to some researchers, the affect as the meaning and the final result of the process. Free creativity of the artist and freedom of amateur astronomer, not bound by professional obligations, are similar to each other, actualizing the reflection of ontological foundations of existence as an axiological dominant of personal experience. It is this dominant that raises amateur astronomy to the level of those human activities that can be considered as cultural values of civilization.