Astronomy Clubs : The Sky’s the Limit for These Star-Gazing Groups

What do you do if you want to see a star? Go shopping on Rodeo Drive? Hang out at the Polo Lounge? Plunk down $6 at a movie theater?

Some star gazers literally head for the hills. In remote spots, under dark skies, they point their telescopes and look up. The

heavenly bodies they search for are more likely to be Cassiopeia and Arcturus, not Raquel Welch or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Welcome to the world of amateur astronomy.

Southern California is one of the most active areas in the country for amateur astronomy, says Andrew Fraknoi, executive officer of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, with some “star parties” drawing several thousand people.

Fraknoi notes that amateur astronomers fall into three groups. First, there are the serious observers. They make real scientific contributions as they track variable stars (those that grow brighter and dimmer) and hunt for comets (find one and it may be named after you). Then there are telescope buffs--people who enjoy building and using telescopes and going to “star parties”--all-night outings where you get a view of the night sky through telescopes and share the excitement of astronomy with friends, students and the public. Finally, there are the “armchair” astronomers. They read a lot about the science and may speculate about the origins of the universe--but they’re hardly going to leave their cozy armchairs to spend a cold night outdoors observing the stars.

The following is a partial list of amateur astronomy groups in the Southland. For more clubs, check with your local observatory. And for more information on astronomy in general, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94112.

Polaris Astronomical Society--Meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd., Encino. Contact Bob Collins, chairman, at (818) 348-1026, or write to him at 23824 Welby Way, West Hills, Calif. 91307. Annual dues of $15 include the club newsletter, the Telescopium. The club was established in 1958 and has 50 members. Star parties are held occasionally; for dates, call the club hot line at (818) 715-9819.

Los Angeles Astronomical Society--Meets at 7:30 p.m. the second Monday of the month, September through June, at the Griffith Observatory, 2800 E. Observatory Road, Griffith Park. Contact Tom Dorff, (213) 926-4071. Membership is $30 a year, and discounts on telescopes and accessories are offered on occasion. The club started in 1926 and now has 350 members. The group has its own observatory in the Gorman area and holds monthly star parties, weather permitting, for members and their guests. Public events are held at the Griffith Observatory. The club also operates the Monterey Park city observatory and holds Wednesday night workshops there from 8 to 10 p.m.

Orange County Astronomers--Meets the second Friday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Science Hall at Chapman College, Orange. Contact John Sanford, 2215 Martha Ave., Orange, Calif. 92667, telephone (714) 639-8446, or call the 24-hour “starline” at (714) 633-2253. Dues are $35, $20 for students and seniors. With more than 500 members, this may be the largest amateur astronomy club in the United States. Star parties are held two or three times a month, either near Silverado or at the 20-acre club-owned site in Anza, where club members have built an observatory with a 22-inch telescope and 27 pads for setting up portable telescopes. “We’re very proud of that site,” Sanford says. The club is developing a public observatory at Mile Square Park in Orange County. The group also sponsors an all-day seminar in astrophotography and publishes books.

Astronomical Society of the Desert--An auxiliary group of the College of the Desert in the Coachella Valley, serving the area from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea. Meets twice a month during the school year, starting in October. One meeting is a star party; the other is a public lecture on science and astronomy at the College of the Desert, 43500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert, Calif. 92260, telephone (619) 346-8041. Contact founder and past president Ashley Thomas McDermott at the college for exact times and dates. The club has 80 members and its goal is to bring astronomy to the community and to act as a resource for students. A star party is held each month on the Saturday closest to the dark of the moon. (One star party drew close to 3,000 people.)

Pomona Valley Amateur Astronomers--Meets the third Friday of the month in Galileo Hall, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont. Contact president Billie Darrah, (714) 860-5373, or write Pomona Valley Amateur Astronomers, 900-A N. Golden Springs Road,

Diamond Bar, Calif. 91765. Dues of $10 include the Nightwatch newsletter. The club’s

140 members range from amateurs to professionals. Visitors are welcome, and once a month on the Saturday closest to the new moon the group goes on a star party in the Victorville area. The club has its own 24-inch telescope, which any member can borrow. Eight telescopes are now being

made by club members to be available for

schools.

Riverside Astronomical Society--Clifford Holmes has been called “Mr. Amateur Astronomer” by his peers. He is the founder and director of the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference at Big Bear held over Memorial Day Weekend. Last year, the event attracted 1,800 enthusiasts from across the United States and abroad. With 70 members, the society is one of the most active clubs. Dues of $30 include a newsletter and a subscription to Sky and Telescope magazine. Star parties are held once a month in the Gavilan Hills. Meetings are the first Saturday of the month (except major holidays) at 7:30 p.m. at Riverside City College, Room 134-A. For 24-hour information, call the star gazers hot line at (714) 689-0116. Or call Holmes at (714) 689-6893, or write him at 8642 Wells Ave., Riverside, Calif. 92503.

San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers--Meets the third Saturday of the month at 7:30 p.m., at Cal State University, San Bernardino, in Room 101 of the Biological Sciences Building. Contact David Garcia, president, 1345 Garner Ave., San Bernardino, Calif. 92411, (714) 884-0657. Dues of $20 include a newsletter and subscription to Sky and Telescope. Started in 1958, the group has 70 members. About 24 members

have their own telescopes; the club lends one out to people wishing to use it. Star parties, at Cajon Pass, are held twice a month at the dark of the moon. Some club members give slide shows, followed by evening star parties, to local elementary and high school students.

Santa Barbara Astronomy Club--Meets the first Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Carroll Observatory, Westmont College, 955 La Paz Road, Santa Barbara. It was started 30 years ago and has 40 to 50 members. Annual dues are $15 ($17 for families, $12 for seniors), which includes a monthly bulletin. Contact Vic Stryker, (805) 568-8220, or write the Santa Barbara Astronomy Club, P.O. Box 3702, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93130. Star parties are held each month on the Saturday nearest the new moon. Observations are in the mountains near the Winchester Canyon Gun Club.

San Diego Astronomy Assn.--This group holds program meetings the third Friday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Reuben Fleet Space Theater in Balboa Park. Contact president Greg Cade at (619) 560-1155 or write San Diego Astronomy Assn., P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, Calif. 92123. Membership dues are $25. For the past nine years, the club has been building a 22-inch telescope on its 10-acre observing site 60 miles east of San Diego. Star parties are held at that location twice a month, on Saturdays before and after the new moon. You don’t have to be a member to attend a public meeting. Cade suggests that people start out with a pair of binoculars before purchasing a telescope. This club has a particular interest in

astrophotography.

Ventura County Astronomical Society Inc.--Meets the third Friday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Moorpark College Science Lab, Moorpark. Afterward, if the sky is clear, they walk over to the observatory for some star gazing. Contact Grant Sessions at (805) 642-8657 or write Ventura County Astronomical Society, P.O. Box 982, Simi Valley, Calif. 93062. Dues are $30. The club, started in 1967, now has more than 300 members, who use the college’s $150,000 observatory. Members deliver lectures in Ventura area schools and hold star parties once a month during the summer (on the Saturday nearest the new moon) in the parking lot at Mt. Pinos. The club has just finished constructing a portable 12 1/2-inch telescope that is available free to club members.