Membership Details

The Canberra Astronomical Society Inc. (CAS) welcomes new members. Membership of CAS offers you the following privileges:

• The opportunity to participate in Society events and projects
• Voting rights at the Society's AGM
• Lending rights at our Astronomy library
• A personal copy of our monthly journal The Southern Cross
• Hire of various reflector and refractor telescopes
• A personal copy of our annual Canberra based comprehensive ephemeris
• Monthly dark sky nights
• Discounted subscription to Sky & Telescope Magazine

See About the Society for more information in the background and associations of CAS.

Membership Fees

Membership of CAS is on an annual basis ending on June 30 of the financial year. Half fees apply to new members joining after January 1 each year.

Please make cheques or money orders payable to the Canberra Astronomical Society Inc. You can write to us at the address below.

You can download a copy of our membership application [Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader].

For more information contact the Membership Secretary Shirley McKeown, on (02) 6299 6156 or (mobile) 0428 488 269, or email .

Introductory Meetings

Monthly General Meetings are usually preceded by an introductory meeting for members new to astronomy. These meetings are a fairly informal affair and aimed at people new to astronomy. CAS is about providing the opportunity for people of like interests to meet.

These typically start at 7 pm on the same night as the general meeting. For more information refer to our Society Diary.

General Meetings

Monthly General Meetings are held at 8 pm on the 3rd Thursday of the month from January to November (except for the month when we hold our annual dinner, or if circumstances require a change of date - refer to our Society Diary). General Meetings are held at the Duffield Building, Mount Stromlo.

General meetings frequently feature guest speakers from both the amateur and professional community (or related fields) who give a short lecture on astronomical topics. Members also give presentations on current items of interest or their own astronomical pursuits. CAS is about sharing information not available in any other forum.

Meetings close with coffee and an opportunity to chat and browse the CAS astronomical library. New members and visitors are always welcome to attend. For more information refer to our Society Diary.

Attending Meetings

Refer to the following maps for more details. The General Meetings and starting point for the Introductory Meetings is the oval carpack above the Duffield Building.

1. Getting around Mount Stromlo

Technical Meetings

Great opportunity for those wanting to be more involved in the construction of telescope equipment. The venue can vary so you should send a message to the CAS email list (explained in the CAS Journal) to find out what the forthcoming plans are.

Dark Sky Nights

Dark sky and lunar/planetary observing nights, normally at one of two fixed locations close by but away from the lights of Canberra. A map with directions is provided in the CAS ephemeris, provided as part of your membership.

These are typically held on the Saturday night closest to the new Moon. For more information refer to our Society Diary.

Other Activities

Some of the other activities that CAS undertakes are:

• Mirror and telescope making
• Grazing lunar and asteroid occultations (join the fun of navigating in the dark and observing on the side of the road in the middle of the night!)
• Astrophotography - both conventional and electronic (CCD imaging)
• School presentations and viewing nights
• Public viewing nights at various locations around Canberra