SOHO Comet discovery on the net

[Plane]

http://skytonight.com/news/4550496.html
Launched in 1995, SOHO is operated by NASA and the European Space Agency. Although its primary mission is to continuously monitor the Sun's activity, it has now become the most prolific comet "discoverer" in history. Zhou is one of a growing number of successful SOHO comet hunters worldwide who regularly scan LASCO images, which are posted in near-real time on the Internet. To join in the search, go to the SOHO Comets page.
http://ares.nrl.navy.mil/sungrazer/

[Plane]

A cash prize of U.S. $500 will be awarded for each of the next 10 discoveries of near-Earth asteroids by amateur skygazers, persons not employed as professional astronomers and who use amateur-owned equipment. For this prize, near-Earth asteroids are defined as rocky minor planets (as opposed to icy comets) whose distance from the Sun at perihelion, or closest approach, is less than 1 astronomical unit (AU). One AU, the average separation of the Earth and the Sun, is 149,597,870 kilometers, or 92,955,810 miles.

Roy Tucker of Tucson, Arizona, was the first amateur to take home $500 for finding a near-Earth asteroid. Tucker found minor planet 1997 MW1. He also won the prize in 1998 and 1999 for finding 1998 FG1 and 1998 HE3. Public-school teacher and amateur astronomer Leonard L. Amburgey of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, received the prize in 2000 for his discovery of Earth-approaching asteroid 2000 NM.
http://skytonight.com/observing/objects/projects/3304146.html


Hmmmm.... you would have to discover two to pay for the telescope you need.