Astronomical Societies of the World
November 23, 2010The Aberdeen Astronomical Society (AAS) is a astronomical group formed in 1969 of about 35 current members that meet on the second Tuesday of each month at the Bettridege Centre, in Newtonhill to gaze at the night sky above the Granite City. The society uses the University of Aberdeen's 10-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (SCT), equipped with a webcam and computer guidance, for their journeys to the beginning of the universe. Star gazers that want to take part in the Aberdeen Astronomical Society events can stop by during the meetings to talk and get to know the other members. If it's a cloudy night, they'll have other events planned, like guest speakers, demonstrations, slide shows and such, so even if it's not a great night for star gazing, you can still have some fun.
The Aberdeen Astronomical Society also organizes trips and events at other Scottish observatories, so you can get an opportunity to see other telescopes around Scotland. Special celestial events like meteor showers, asteroid viewings, eclipses and auroras are covered during the year as well.
The Aberdeen Astronomical Society also holds regular public observing nights at the Bennachie Centre near Kemnay, star gazers that want to take part should contact the centre for more information.
Directions to the Bettridge Centre can be found atwww.bettridgecentre.org
Spanish star gazers looking for a little fun should drop by and talk to the people of the Agrupacion Astronomica de Madrid (AAM). A cultural association founded in 1974, the Agrupacion Astronomica de Madrid is dedicated to the study and development of amateur astronomy and related sciences in the Madrid area, and the bringing together of Spanish star gazers in a common theme of forwarding astronomy in Spain.
Star gazers that take part in the activities of the Agrupacion Astronomica de Madrid can take in daily lectures on a variety of astronomy topics every Tuesday, except holidays and vacations, and they have a beginners class for new members every Thursday from April to July.
Star gazers in Massachusetts looking for a new group of amateur star gazers to meet with should drop by and talk to the people of the Aldrich Astronomical Society. This group of dedicated star gazers get together on a regular basis to talk about astronomy and spend time looking at the night sky of Massachusetts. They also have events like informal lectures, discussions of current astronomy events, topics being discussed around the world of astronomy and even telescope making parties for people that want to get started.
The Aldrich Astronomical Society was founded in 1932 and was named in the honor of the late Professor Fred Aldrich of Worcester Academy, who for years promoted astronomy and star gazing in the Worcester area of Massachusetts. The members meet on the second and fourth Saturday of each month of the year at 7:30 pm in the Science Building at Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachuetts. Drop by and say hello and you could make a few new friends and learn a little more about the world and universe beyond Earth and our solar system.
Star gazers in New Jersey looking for a new group of star gazing friends should stop by and say hello to the amateur star gazers of the Amateur Astronomers' Assocation of Princeton. The amateur star gazers of this community have a natural curiosity about the universe and cosmology and have programs and events on a monthly basis for both members and non-members.
The association has access to two observatories, hold public outreach programs and regional star parties throughout the year to attract new members and try to interest more people in astronomy and get their natural interest in the univers in gear. One observatory is in Washington Crossing State Park (housing a research-grade 355mm Schmidt-Cassegrain catadioptric and historic 159mm Hastings-Byrne refractor). The other observatory is in Jenny Jump State Park in northwestern New Jersey and houses a 318mm custom-built Newtonian reflector.
Star gazers in the New York cosmopolitan area looking for a little star gazing fun with like minded people should stop in and say hello to the amateur star gazers of the Amateur Astronomers Association. The association is always looking for new members, operates a wide range of public and in-house educational programs for amateur astronomers, including lectures, seminars, classes and even nights of star gazing for your enjoyment. Star gazing sessions of this association are held in the local offices of the association and in local parks around the cosmopolitan New York region. Membership is only $20 per year, includes the monthly EyePiece newsletter, and even provides members with a discount for Sky & Telescope and other astronomy magazines.
1010 Park Avenue, New York NY 10028
Voice: 212-LE5-2922
The oldest amateur astronomers association in New Jersey, Amateur Astronomers Incorporated was founded by a group of amateur astronomers in 1949, and has over 300 members, which makes it one of the largest astronomy groups in the United States. The association makes use of the telescopes and instruments of the William Miller Sperry Observatory at Union County College, in Cranford, New Jersey to view the night sky, which includes a 24-inch reflector and 10-inch refractor. The association also meets regularly for astronomy lectures, seminars, talks, demonstrations, and tutorials to help amateur astronomers learn more about the universe.
The William Miller Sperry Observatory
Union County College, 1033 Springfield Avenue
Cranford, New Jersey 07016.
Phone: 908-276-7827
Contact: info@asterism.org
Contact Anthony Espinoza at symmetry57@hotmail.com, or by phone at 908-241-2843 for more information. or to book a group of five star viewers or more.
TheAmateurs Astronomes du Luxembourg (AAL) was founded in 1971 by a group of enthusiastic star gazers and currently has about 130 members that take part in nightly star gazing sessions at the association's club at Dudelange, Luxembourg. Amateur star gazers are invited to attend these meetings, take part in introductory astronomy courses and view the universe free of charge at sites the association has selected around the country of Luxembourg. The lessons and sessions will be conducted in the national language of Luxembourg, and the association is known for teaching amateur star gazers of all ages about the majesty of the universe.
Interested amateur star gazers can contact the Amateur Astronomes du Luxembourg using the information below.
AAL Siège Deich School
Rue du Stade Jos Nosbaum
Dudelange
Adresse Postale:
A.A.L.
Boite postale 1711
L-1017 Luxembourg
Phone:
36 98 28 Nic Feierstein
E-Mail Contacts: mail@aal.lu
Founded in 1996 by John Wagoner and Ed Flaspoehler, the American Association of Amateur Astronomers (AAAA) fosters interest in astronomy by developing and promoting programs for its membership and the amateur community of the world using the Internet. They also have an online store offering a nice selection of astronomy products to help the amateur star gazers get started viewing the universe and enhance the fun and enjoyment of watching the universe unfold in the night sky.
A member of the Astronomical League, the American Association of Amateur Astronomers is dedicated to promoting the services provided by the Astronomical League to star gazers who don't have access to local astronomy clubs, or whose local astronomy club isn't a member of the Astronomy League.
The American Association of Amateur Astronomers is always looking for new paid members and paid memberships come with some pretty good benefits. You get a subscription to the AAAA's quarterly newsletter, The American Astronomer, the ability to publish your astrophotos, articles and news items on the AAAA website, and there are free special publications for beginning star gazers. You also get a full membership in the Astronomical League, when you join the AAAA, which gives you access to the federation's 232 member astronomy clubs, and 16,000 star gazing members. You are also provided with a subscription to the Astronomical League's quarterly astronomy magazine, The Reflector, with membership in the AAAA, and discounts on major astronomical magazines, books and other publications around the world of astronomy.
All interested people, whether amateur or professional astronomers, can contact the AAAA using the contact information below.
The American Association of Amateur Astronomers
P.O. Box 7981
Dallas, Texas 75209-0981
Email: aaaa@astromax.com
TheAmerican Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international non-profit association of variable star observers founded in 1911 to coordinate variable star observations in the night sky. The mission of the AAVSO is to observe, archive and analyze variable stars in the night sky, forge a stronger relationship between amateur and professional astronomers around the world and promote astronomy research and education using the data and information collected on variable stars. At present, the AAVSO is an independent, private research organization headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with members in 52 countries around the world and archived information on about 18 million variable stars in the night sky.
Membership into the AAVSO is currently open to people around the world, both professional, amateur and astronomy educators, interested in variable stars and in taking part in research on variable stars in the night sky.
People around the world interested in joining the American Association of Variable Star Observers can contact the association using the contact information below.
Phone: (617) 354-0484
Fax: (617) 354-0665
Mailing Address: AAVSO Headquarters,
49 Bay State Rd.
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Posted by Warren Wong. Posted In : astronomical societies