RedOrbit NEWS | A League of Its Own

Now in its sixth decade, the Astronomical League is still going strong.

These days, I suppose folks interested in astronomy first find out about the Astronomical League by surfing the Internet. But in 1983, when I decided to get involved in astronomy, I heard about the League after joining a local astronomy club, the Astronomical Society of Kansas City. I had always been an armchair astronomer, but I'd heard Halley's Comet was coming in a few years. I wanted to know more about astronomy and even own a telescope. So I bought a 4- inch reflector and, yes, I saw Halley's Comet through it.

THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE, through its many clubs and satellite organizations, hosts many star parties throughout the United States. The ASKC Star Party in Marion, Kansas, is shown here. TOM MARTINEZ

But one dark night when I was out observing with other members of the club, someone handed me a list of Messier objects and a few blank observation forms. I was told that if I observed all 110 Messier objects, I'd get a certificate and a pin from a group called the Astronomical League. This sounded great to a one-time Girl Scout, so my quest began. It took a few years, but I was one proud observer when I was presented with that pin. I also discovered the League had all sorts of observing awards and, while working on them, I could learn quite a lot about navigating through the night sky.

At that time, the League was a large organization "out there" that the Kansas City club belonged to, but I knew little more about it. After spending the last ten years working for the League as a national officer, I've realized the perception of the organization is still nebulous for too many amateur astronomers. Having grown to love the Astronomical League, allow me to introduce it to you.

An umbrella organization

Bringing groups of amateur astronomers together is really what got the League going. The League was founded in 1941 by a group of amateur astronomy societies in the northeastern United States. The idea was discussed at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, and by November 1941, twelve societies had ratified the new bylaws of the "Amateur Astronomers' League of America." World War II intervened, but in 1946, the League was reborn. Annual dues were 15 per club member. The eminent Harvard astronomer Harlow Shapley was the interim president in July 1947 for the first convention, which launched the renamed Astronomical League with 1,568 members and $67.52 in its treasury. An amateur astronomer, Ed Halbach, was elected the first president of the League. The organization has come a long way since then. Our treasury and trust fund now contain roughly $150,000.

The League consists of more than 290 astronomy clubs and a large number of members-at-large, for a total of approximately 20,000 individual members. The group's stated mission is to promote the science of astronomy by fostering astronomical education, by providing incentives for astronomical observations and research, and by assisting communication among amateur astronomical societies. just how does the League accomplish all this?

In some cases, member clubs host star parties. In 1999, I made my first trek to the Texas Star Party, held in the Davis Mountains of West Texas each spring. Hundreds of amateur astronomers gather there to observe under a magnificently dark night sky all week long. Highlights include guest speakers and astronomy vendors, and everyone who attends is an astronomy nut, just like me. It's heaven on Earth for us. The Texas Star Party is the regional event for the Southwest region of the Astronomical League. Other star parties such as Stellafane, the Table Mountain Star Party, Astrofest, the ICSTARS Star Party, the Nebraska Star Party, the Okie-Tex Star Party, the Northeast Astronomy Forum, the Starry Nights Festival, and the Winter Star Party all are run (or were founded) by either League clubs or regions. If one of the ten regions of the League does not host an annual star party, it offers a regional meeting of some sort. These are all good ways to get regional clubs together to trade ideas or just to socialize.

GARY FUJIHARA [left] was the recipient of the Astronomy Day award at ALCON 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fujihara is the founder of the Astronomy Day Institute in Hilo, Hawaii. Astronomical League president Bob Gent stands at right. JACKIE BEUCHER

MAXWELL MOE AND KAYLA LA FRANCE were presented awards at ALCON 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee. Moe won the National Young Astronomer Award. La France was the recipient of the Jack Horkheimer Award, for exceptional service by an astronomer under the age of nineteen. JACKIE BEUCHER

THE RBFLECTOR has been a publication of the Astronomical League for more than 55 years. The first issue, seen here, was comprised of only two pages printed back-to-back on one sheet. It's currently a multi-page, full-color publication sent to 20,000 members.

ED FLASPOEHLER

GREG PIEPOL, a member of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, won the Astronomical League's first national Webmaster Award at ALCON 2003. JACKIE BEUCHER

AWARD RECIPIENTS GATHER at ALCON 2003 in Nashville. From left to right, the winners are Paul Comba, Katie Moore, Maxwell Moe, Ryan Hannahoe, and Kayla La France. BOB GENT

Observe!

Observing "clubs" - programs to encourage individual observations - have become a major activity among League members. Just as I found out so many years ago, giving new amateur astronomers lists and goals gets them out under the night sky. The first observing award the League adopted, in 1967, was the Observe the Messier Objects Award, begun by members of the Omaha (Nebraska) Astronomical Society. Amateur astronomer George Alien of Omaha originated the idea of giving a pin as part of the award. As Alien said, "I figured if a pin worked to get me to attend church, then it might get new members to tackle the Messier objects, thereby getting them to know the skies, their telescope, star atlases, and some mythology." The rest is history. The Messier pin now proudly adorns the clothing of many amateurs across the country.

Another significant award program focuses on the Herschel objects - all 400 of them. The Ancient City Astronomy Club in St. Augustine, Florida, developed this award. Soon to follow were awards for observing the Sun and meteors. John Wagoner of the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas introduced binocular astronomy awards to the League. More than twenty "Observe" awards now exist for objects such as the Moon, planets, galaxy clusters, double stars, asteroids, and more. The latest League Observe awards are the Sky Puppy (for our young observers), the Southern Skies Telescopic, and the Constellation Hunter. On the drawing board are clubs for star clusters and local galaxy clusters. These awards stir the interest of amateur astronomers and achieve the League's mission of promoting astronomy, one observation at a time.

Other activities

What about Astronomical League members who do not actively observe? The organization offers many other benefits such as its quarterly magazine, the Reflector. This magazine presents news by and for League members. Articles in the Reflector highlight League club activities, spotlight upcoming astronomical events, offer observing tips, present book reviews, and provide an outlet for member feedback. Bob Gent, the current editor-in-chief, has assembled a staff of volunteer associate editors who help with the many tasks involved in publishing this popular quarterly magazine.

THE ISS-AT is a collaboration between the Astronomical League and NASA to place a telescope that can be used by amateurs aboard the International Space Station. A test model of the telescope has been constructed and resides at the Arizona Sky Village in Portal, Arizona. Project team members are (left to right) Rocky Alvey, A. G. Kasselberg, Jack Newton, Alice Newton, Terry Mann, Leigh Anne Johnson, Gene Turner, and (kneeling) Bill Williams. JACKIE BEUCHER

THE ALPHA TELESCOPE of the ISS-AT project is a 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly operating at f/7. A new version of this scope will be installed aboard the International Space Station in 2006. JACKIE BEUCHER

The League offers a book service. League members can purchase any astronomy book published at a 10 percent discount, with no shipping charges.

League members can attend national conventions, or ALCONs. These annual meetings are a highlight of my year because something really special always happens. The 2004 convention will take place in Oakland. California.

How many astronomy clubs celebrate Astronomy Day every spring? We're aware of hundreds of them. The League began promoting this national event in 1980, and Astronomy Day activities become larger and better every year.

As the League grows, we gain some notoriety. People learn about the organization and come to us with their ideas and projects. A few years ago, the League was asked to head a project that would place an amateur telescope on the International Space Station. The first version of this telescope, the ISS-AT, is up and running, and if all goes according to plan, a new version will be installed on the ISS in 2006.

The League as a whole strongly advocates reducing light pollution. Bob Gent, League president, is a man driven to fight bright night skies. He serves as the League's liaison to the In\ternational Dark-Sky Association (see "Reclaim the night sky," Astronomy, June 2004, for more on this organization). Gent has presented his case for preserving dark night skies all over the country.

The League represents different things to different people. Until recently, the organization consisted of a couple dozen volunteers spread across the United States, each working from their homes.

Now the League has a national office, which opened in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2003. A generous group of Kansas City businesses donated nearly the entire contents of the new office. The League also hired its first paid employee, Mitch Glaze, to work in the office part-time to handle the League database.

The Astronomical League is alive and well and working for amateur astronomers everywhere. Except for Glaze, all officers and staff are volunteers, donating our time to further the goal of bringing astronomy to the people. This summer, the annual, per-member dues for the League increased to $5, an increase of $1.50 per member. For this small amount, each member receives the Reflector and all the benefits listed above - the best bargain available to amateur astronomers today. So, on behalf of all the volunteers who work for the League, we hope you will join us in this great hobby.

ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE AWARDS

THE LEAGUE is big on awards. If there's something in the universe of amateur astronomy that needs to be acknowledged as the best, the League wants to know about it. The annual awards are listed below.

The National Young Astronomer Award

$4,000 telescope and a lifetime pass to McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas. Sponsored by Meade Instruments.

The Jack Horkheimer Award

$1,000 award for service to astronomy. Sponsored by Jack Horkheimer, the Star Gazer.

The Bob Wright Award

for service to the Astronomical League.

The President's Award

for service to amateur astronomy.

The Leslie Peltier Award

for outstanding astronomical observing.

The Mable Sterns Award

for the best League newsletter.

The Webmaster Award

for the best League web site.

Jackie Beucher is past president of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City. She serves as executive secretary of the Astronomical League.