Society members

[bish]

Hello,

I'm curious how many of you are in some sort of astro society.  I've been interested in astronomy all of my life but never joined up and thought it was time that I did.  I guess quite a few are in local societies. Is any body in the BAA, SPA,  RAS (or any others)?

Thanks.

[Gazabone]

I'm in Cornwall Astronomy Society and Roseland Observatory. I've also joined the BAA. I've found particularly the local organisations a fantastic help in understanding the night sky, what to look for and how to do it. It's also been a wonderful help in broadening my horizons and opened up different aspects of astronomy and cosmology that I would probably have forever remained ignorant of.

[bish]

I've recently joined the BAA and have been very impressed with how quickly the section Directors reply to enquiries. I am also looking to join my local club for the regular meetings

[Peter Drew]

I'm a member of The Astronomy Centre. 

[jkwhinfrey]

I'm a member of the Northamptonshire Natural History Society (NNHS) Astronomy Section, the SPA and the Webb Deep-Sky Society. My local Society (the NNHS) is affiliated to the BAA. So that covers most of the bases I guess ;-) Well worth joining a local Society.

James

[FenlandPaul]

I'm a member of the Northamptonshire Natural History Society (NNHS) Astronomy Section, the SPA and the Webb Deep-Sky Society. My local Society (the NNHS) is affiliated to the BAA. So that covers most of the bases I guess ;-) Well worth joining a local Society.

James

It was the NNHS, especially Nick Hewitt and Bob Marriott, that really encouraged me when I was 11 years old - great society, that. I used to love the observing evenings when they had the observatory up at Hunsbury Hill - being in that dome was the highlight of my month! Moved away about 20 years ago.

Also belonged to the BAA, which lapsed quite a few years ago but thinking about rejoining and also joining the Webb Society. I would join my local society too, but I'm usually too busy in the week to get along to meetings.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Scosmico]

+1 The Astronony Centre. Physically distant, but close spiritually

[JB80]

Is there a difference between a society and a club?

I have not been a member of anything astro related but then again there are language barriers in being an expat. There is one expat club not too far from here but since many expats here are retired they meet at like 3 in the afternoon in a pub on a Wednesday which is of no use to me whatsoever.

[Peter Drew]

Are they all solar observers? 

[bish]

I'm a member of The Astronomy Centre. 

That went over my head until I did a google search. Looks like a great place, I will have to pay you a visit.

[jkwhinfrey]

It was the NNHS, especially Nick Hewitt and Bob Marriott, that really encouraged me when I was 11 years old - great society, that. I used to love the observing evenings when they had the observatory up at Hunsbury Hill - being in that dome was the highlight of my month! Moved away about 20 years ago.

Also belonged to the BAA, which lapsed quite a few years ago but thinking about rejoining and also joining the Webb Society. I would join my local society too, but I'm usually too busy in the week to get along to meetings.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

FenlandPaul,

I'm sure Nick would be pleased to hear that, he's our President. We've been invited to go back to Hunsbury Hill after the development of Sixfields drove us away - before my time, lots of light apparently :-0 We'll see what transpires. It's the Webb Society Annual Meeting in June. You might like to come along, it's looking interesting with lots of international speakers.

I wonder whether the Internet erodes the need for Societies and Clubs (not sure of the difference either)? You don't need to be face to face in order to find someone to talk to about astronomy now, as we're proving. Not necessarily good or bad, just the way it is perhaps?

James

[Hobbes]

I'm a member of Guildford Astronomical Society - My wife joined me up when I started to show and interest in stargazing a few years ago and I have kept my membership up ever since.

I get 11 meetings a year with some really interesting presenters, use of the society observatories, use of loan scopes and get to go observing with some like minded maniacs each month.

Probably the best £25 I spend each year.

[FenlandPaul]

FenlandPaul,

I'm sure Nick would be pleased to hear that, he's our President. We've been invited to go back to Hunsbury Hill after the development of Sixfields drove us away - before my time, lots of light apparently :-0 We'll see what transpires. It's the Webb Society Annual Meeting in June. You might like to come along, it's looking interesting with lots of international speakers.

I wonder whether the Internet erodes the need for Societies and Clubs (not sure of the difference either)? You don't need to be face to face in order to find someone to talk to about astronomy now, as we're proving. Not necessarily good or bad, just the way it is perhaps?

James

Thanks for the heads-up on the Webb meeting, James. Hadn't realised it was in Cambridge so have booked that in my wife's diary!

Give my regards to Nick (he'll remember me as the guy who also went to the same school as him in Oxford). I'm glad to hear it's a thriving society. I can imagine Sixfields has made HH a difficult location (even then it was horrendously polluted compared to my home village of Ravensthorpe), but for me being in a "real" observatory was very special indeed.

I think good and well-controlled sites such as SGL definitely make it easier to feel part of a community, which was something that could only be achieved via local societies a couple of decades ago. But there's nothing like face-to-face interaction. Recently I've spoken with and met a couple of folks from SGL from whom I've bought equipment. It's been a real pleasure both times chatting with people in the flesh about this hobby we all love. In a society you get that in spades.

I think I've just convinced myself to join somewhere!

Paul

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BinocularSky]

I'm a member of Wessex AS, Fordingbridge Astronomers, SPA, Webb Deep Sky Society, Bournemouth Natural Science Society and the RAS.