re: Amateurs participating
My astronomy club isn't ready for this kind of observation, but I joined one (close by) which might one day do interesting things.
Amateurs can measure the size and shapes of asteroids or detect double stars systems through stellar occultations.
Others can listen to meteorites (radio) or detect supernovae (by following a systematic program photographing the same part of the sky and returning back 5 days later).
Detecting exoplanets would be great! Instead of occultations, it would be transits.
It's always at least 2 heavenly bodies in the observer's line of sight!
Raoul