Why Join An Astronomy Club?
By: JC Willette

This is a question that has plagued many an amateur astronomer. I also deeply question the reason to get involved with a club when all I have to do is go outside to some dark location and enjoy the skies by myself. As I think back over my life and how I became involved in astronomy, I realize that without a club or someone to guide you in the night skies, your luck in finding deep sky objects become very impossible!

When I was about 10, my dad had a spy scope that was about 1.5 inches in diameter. I used it outside in the cold winter nights of northern New York and found it to be most difficult to use. It didn’t have a tripod and had to hold it against a tree or some other object to steady it. Even with this help from steadying the telescope, I could never find anything of interest in the sky except the moon. My study of the moon was short lived as I became bored with looking at the same object night after night. Not knowing where to look for the planets, they remained out of my reach.

During my time in the Boy Scouts of America, I progressed through the ranks and finally became an Eagle Scout. To become an Eagle Scout, you had to take classes or courses in several interests groups. These were broken down and called merit badges. Each merit badge had its own pamphlet with requirements you had to meet before you could earn it. As I went to summer camp each summer, I had a chance to earn many of them there. One summer I decided to take the Astronomy Merit Badge. The counselors held classes in the day with viewing the sky at night. We had to learn the constellations for that season by pointing them out to the instructors without help plus drawing them on the tests they gave us for the other seasons. I was taught how to locate Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn by naked eye. Several bright stars had to be identified including the Pleiades. We also learned how to navigate by using the stars and this would be of help in my career in the Air Force.

I continued to gaze at the night sky, but through the years my knowledge became foggy and I lost the knowledge I had learned previously. I enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Japan for 16 of my 24 years. I was at an airbase about 60 miles west of Tokyo and the light pollution is comparable to good ole Las Vegas! I had seen a Newtonian telescope on sale in an electronic shop just outside the base and I became hooked again. I also had a buddy who was also interested in the night sky and who had a set of binoculars. Both of us were without a formal training in the skies except for me in the Boy Scouts.

We would take my 4 inch Newtonian out to the local playground and set it up, drink a few beers and gaze at the summer night sky. We eventually located Jupiter and Saturn, what pretty sights they were to us who had never seen them through a telescope! Our knowledge was very limited and we never took the time to observe the bands on Jupiter nor the moons of Saturn. We were just happy to see them in the eyepiece!

Knowing there were galaxies out there, we searched and searched to try to find one. To this day, I can say I never actually saw one in Japan. I did run across the star Alberio one night while we were looking at the constellation Cygnus. I just happened to take a peek at each of the stars in the constellation and when I got to Alberio, I was surprised at its beauty. It became the focus of our night viewing over then next month or so before my friend moved back to the United States. A short time later, about six months, I too moved to California. The telescope stayed packed in its box until about a year ago.

I retired from the Air Force in March, 1995 and moved to Las Vegas. In the Spring of 2001, I became interested in astronomy again. I began buying the astronomy magazines and reading what was happening out there. I located a club here in Las Vegas and joined. I decided to get involved and learn as much as I could. I soon found out that this club was not fulfilling my needs.

I met a gentleman through the club who felt like I did and we founded a new club in Las Vegas called the Astronomical Society of Nevada, Las Vegas. When we were discussing what a club should do or provide to its members, we came up with a list and decided that the new club should proceed in this direction.

Back to the question - Why join a club? I personally feel that the reason to join any club is for collaboration in a filed you are interested in. This should be a gathering of individuals that share the same interests and desires as you have in your hobby. Folks who are willing to share their knowledge to all who seek it. Folks who assist the club in reaching its goals. Now that we have a basis for a club, let’s talk about the dynamics of clubs.

The Meeting:

Every meeting should be a fun and informative activity for all to enjoy. The meeting should be aimed at providing information to the membership and guests and generate enthusiasm and support for organization projects. The club officers receive feedback from the membership and generate new ideas for new activities. Advance astronomical science while having fun and recruit new members. A welcome committee should be set up to have each attendee sign in on the membership list or a guest list. A table with information on the club and its activities should be available to all who attend. Even door prizes will enhance the overall atmosphere of the meeting.

Special Events:

These events can include lectures from prominent people in the astronomical field. There are several organizations out there that have representatives that are willing to provide lectures at meetings or even at a special event. Some of these would be the hosting of John Dobson at a special event or a JPL Ambassador with a presentation on comets at a monthly meeting. This keeps the club exciting and challenges attendees.

Observing Sessions:

Observing sessions should be open to the public. Those of us who are just starting out and don’t have the cash outlay for a telescope will be lost without an open observing session. This is a place for future members to come out to a dark sky and actually look through different telescopes and decide which one they would buy. It also gives the new folks a chance to ask questions and learn about the universe. We call these observing sessions “Star Parties” because it should be fun, informative and enjoyable for all who attend.

Dues:

Dues should be reasonable and affordable to all who wish to be members. The membership should decide on the amount for the year taking into account the costs associated with the operations of a club. These costs can consist of mailing the newsletters, Christmas Party, Annual Picnic, a large dark sky star party, and even the building of a large 20+ inch telescope for club use.

Advertising the club:

Business cards are always a good idea. With computers today and the ability to create some professional looking cards on the computer, this is a must! Along with that idea a club brochure would also enhance the presence of the club. These can be placed at strategic places throughout the city. Newspapers are always a good source of advertising. You can see what it has done to our club and how effective it has been. TV stations are always a help with special events like comets or meteor showers. Don’t forget to seek out where potential members are hiding. Check out the community and find these pockets of possible members.

Regional Star Parties:

We believe that a club should be willing to enjoy star parties with surrounding clubs. The benefits of doing so are unlimited such as sharing meeting agendas, public events, telescope building, newsletters and content, activities of the other club, etc. The ability to tap into other clubs and improve on your club is such a huge factor that any club not willing to do so is just hurting itself. With the participation in surrounding club activities, our club increases the activities available to our membership automatically. A fine example of this is the Annual Death Valley Star Party being held this November at Mesquite Springs with the Astronomical Society of Nevada (our sister club in Reno) and several surrounding clubs in California and Nevada. This event is something not to be missed!
What can I offer the club in return for all this?

There is always a need for support of the club. Maybe you could write a short article for the monthly newsletter. An article on your last outing or a tutorial on your telescope for others to follow and avoid the pitfalls you went through. We are always looking for photos of our events. If you are willing to share your photos, I am sure the membership would appreciate your hospitality.

There is always the matter of taking up an officer position with the club. Members with some experience in any of the positions are always welcomed.

At special events there will be a need for organizing, directing and seeing that everything has been covered prior to the event. Also you may help out at the event itself either setting up, or cleaning up after the event.

Our best advertising is by word of mouth. The more you talk about the activities of the club, the more folks want to check us out. You also can help in finding places to set up our posters such as in libraries, schools, businesses, etc. We can not do it all, but with your help we can canvas the city and let them know we are here.

Active participation in local events such as a scholastic outreach program. This is a program offered to schools in the surrounding area where club members take their telescopes to the school and allow the students to view through them. Usually the school will have several activities for the students taking place inside the school with shifts of students looking through the telescopes. This is an exciting event for both the school and the club. There is always a need for members to guide the students and inform them of what to do and not to do when looking in a telescope.

If you are a seasoned astronomer, your involvement in a mentor program would be a huge help to the new astronomers among our membership. We would like to pair you up with someone and you would guide them through the night sky and the use of a telescope. This would be a hands on experience for both participants.

With all this said and done, you see why a club would benefit you and how you can benefit the club. Without this two-way street, a club can not accomplish its goals for its members nor the public. I challenge each of you to participate in some aspect of the club so that others may benefit from our unselfishness. The more you give, the more you will be rewarded by you help in the club! Jon and I look forward to working with you to make this the premiere club in Las Vegas!

Until Later....keep your eye on the sky!