Astronomy Clubs

Join a club | High School Clubs | Start a Club

Amateur astronomy clubs are an excellent way to meet other people interested in astronomy, share resources and promote astronomy outreach. Clubs are often responsible for hosting public viewing sessions, and may also participate in school or community demonstrations. Several also run their own small observatory.

Use the links below to locate the nearest astronomy club to you, or read tips on how to start your own astronomy club in your community or school.

Links to directories of Canadian astronomy clubs:

• SkyNews Magazine
• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (29 centers across the country)
• Sky and Telescope (searchable directory of Canadian clubs)

Canadian High School Astronomy Clubs

• East Northumberland Secondary School (Brighton, Ontario)
• Loyola High School (Montréal, Québec)
• Sa-Hali Secondary School (Kamloops, British Columbia)
• Pine Ridge Secondary School (Pickering, Ontario)

Can't find your astronomy club? Send us an email at cascaed@astro.utoronto.ca

Starting an Astronomy Club

Starting an astronomy club from scratch may seem daunting, but in the beginning, any astronomy club is simply a group of individuals interested in one thing: exploring the night sky.

Start by taking inventory of what you have at your disposal - what equipment, if any, do you have access to? Is there a (reasonably!) nearby area which gives you access to a dark sky? How easy is it to get to this location? On a logistical note, what type of club are you interested in starting? Will you have observational goals (such as the observing certificates offered by the RASC), or will your targets be random? Will this be a club for the community, or within a school - what is the age group? What is the experience of the group - will you be looking at common objects or deep-sky treasures? In a school setting, where the club is mostly student-oriented, there are often more things to take into account. If you are interested in starting an in-school club, read this article on Running an After-School Astronomy Club, by Louis Mayo.

Ideally, you have a few people in mind who would be interested in observing every once in a while. By organizing regular meetings, you will develop the necessary tools needed to keep club members informed. You may use a web page for this, a telephone chain, an email distribution list, or a bulletin board in a common area.

Once you are up and running, if you are looking to expand your club, often the best advertising is done by word of mouth. Additionally, you can have your club added to one of the directories above. Hosting a star party for the community is an excellent way to bring people out and advertise your club at the same time. Likewise, many clubs work with schools to host stargazing sessions for entire classes, or have members volunteer to present astronomy talks in the school (most provinces have astronomy curricula in grades 1, 6 and 9).

What becomes of your astronomy club - whether it stays small and intimate, or becomes larger and very well-attended - depends on your initiative and the efforts of the other members. One of the most exciting parts about observing the sky is sharing it with others. Check out the web pages of some of the clubs listed in the directories above to help get some ideas. Good luck!

created by the CASCA education Webteam, (2008)