What is an Astronomy Club?

An astronomy club is a group of people who meet to learn about the night sky together. They might watch a planetarium program or a lecture, and they usually get together for observing sessions on weekends when the sky is clear. Some clubs also organize field trips to observatories or planetariums and to dark sky sites. In addition, they may organize stargazing expeditions to places far away from the city lights for once-in-a-lifetime events such as solar eclipses or the return of Halley’s Comet.

Many clubs also hold regular workshops on subjects such as polar alignment, collimation, and building your own telescope. They might host a visit from an astronomy professor or professional astronomer to give a talk on the latest discoveries in the field. In most cases, these workshops and lectures are only open to club members. Many astronomy clubs maintain a library of field guides, catalogs, observing handbooks, and back issues of astronomy magazines. They might also have a collection of telescopes that members can use for free during observing sessions.

In the early days of astronomy clubs, most were run by amateur astronomers with a passion for the subject and a desire to share it with others. Typically, the club had a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The club president acted as the spokesperson for the club and planned activities. Each club might also have an observatory director who was responsible for the maintenance of the observatory and its equipment.

Some astronomy clubs even had a magazine editor and a public relations director. The CAS (Cornell Astronomical Society) of Cornell University was one such example. In the 1950’s CAS ran a public observing night at Fuertes Observatory each Friday evening. The observing night would often be staffed by club members who operated the observatory’s telescopes and gave tours of the facility to the visiting public.

During the fall of 2018, CAS members will volunteer at Fuertes on several Friday nights. They will operate the telescopes, give visitors a tour of the building and its instruments, and explain what they can see in the night sky. They will also be running outreach activities for children and other groups.

In addition, CAS will run a series of “Joy of the Universe” public observing sessions at Anthony Wayne State Park from April through October. In addition to the monthly meetings, CAS will also hold workshops and lectures throughout the year on various astronomical topics. The CAS has over 100 active members. The club meets monthly for pizza and pop at the Science Building, Room 319. During the meeting the officers will discuss future activities, announce events, and present educational videos and presentations. Afterwards, club members will enjoy stargazing with telescopes and binoculars at the Observing Site.