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About
Us A Brief History of the K-W RASC The
club we know today as the K-W
Centre of the RASC (or
simpy the K-W
RASC)
was founded by Carl Arndt around 1952. Originally called the K-W
Telescope and Mirror Grinders Astronomy Club,
the club later changed its name to the K-W
Amateur Astronomers Club.
During this early period of the space age, the primary interests
of club members centered on the solar system. As
of June 2007, we now have a permanent mailing address: In July of 2007, The Kitchener-Waterloo Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, became incorporated as a non-profit organization, under the laws of the Province of Ontario. We continue to be known as the KW Centre of Rasc. Meetings Meetings
of the K-W Centre are open to all who wish to attend. We usually
have a feature speaker or a presentation on a topic of interest to
amateur astronomers. Past topics have included black holes,
telescope making, cosmology, how the human eye observes, and
astrophotography, to name just a few. A short talk on objects
worth observing in a particular constellation or on practical
aspects of observing and equipment may be presented as well. Also,
there is always some free time for attendees to talk about what
they have seen in the sky or read about in the last month. Observatory We are presently actively searching for a new dark sky site for a new observatory. We do not have an active observatory at this time. We have a list of numerous observing sites available through the StarGazing 101 site. Some of the club's equipment is available through the Equipment Management Group for the use of qualified club members. Publications A
number of high-quality publications are included with RASC
membership. First, there is the Observer's
Handbook.
Published each fall, it is an indespensible observing aid
jam-packed with information on celestial events for the coming
year. Second, The Journal of
the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, which is published
bi-monthly, contains an eclectic mix of articles written by
amateurs and scientific papers written by professionals; access to
it in electronic (pdf) form is included with membership. A mailed
(paper) copy is optionally available for a fee. Members also
receive a mailed copy of Canada’s own astronomy magazine,
SkyNews, another
bi-monthly publication. Activities and Programs Club
members are involved in a wide range of activities and programs,
so numerous that we've devoted a special page
to them. To mention only a few: The club's popular StarGazing
101 group formed for beginners and for people who enjoy
observing holds its own monthly meetings. At the other end of the
experience scale, a number of our members often meet on new-moon
weekends at a site near Mount Forest where the sky is relatively
dark, to do astrophotography. Each year a contest
open to all members honours the best images. Special Club Events We often have impromptu observing nights for club members, particularly when there are interesting celestial phenomena (meteor showers, for example). We also hold public star nights at local parks. Early in the year we hold a well-attended annual dinner in a banquet room at a local restaurant. Membership Membership
in our club is open to anyone with an interest in the night sky.
You don't have to know much about astronomy or own a telescope to
join. In fact, club meetings are a good place to talk to
experienced observers to get recommendations on equipment or
observing techniques. The membership year starts whenever you join
and members receive all RASC publications for the following year.
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