Astronomical Society of New South Wales

Astronomical Society of New South Wales Inc.

Abbreviation	ASNSW
Formation	1954 (1954)
Legal status	Incorporated association
Purpose	To bring together people interested in astronomy and related sciences, and to promote public interest and education in astronomy.[1]
Location	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Membership	Over 400
Contact	secretary@asnsw.com
Publication	Universe Magazine
Website	www.asnsw.com

The Astronomical Society of New South Wales (ASNSW) is an amateur astronomy club in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It was founded in 1954 and it has over 400 members, making it one of the oldest and largest such clubs in the country. Its members have a record of significant research accomplishments and public outreach activities.

The Society's objectives are stated in its constitution as follows: "The ASNSW exists to bring together people interested in Astronomy and related sciences, and to promote public interest and education in Astronomy. The ASNSW provides members and the general public access to Astronomical observing facilities, educational lectures, and assistance in selecting, using and even building telescopes and related instruments."^[1]

The Society has sections dedicated to providing support for members interested in specific aspects of astronomy, including astrophotography, computing, solar observing, the Solar System, double and variable star observing, deep sky observing and telescope making. It also runs two dedicated observing sites, one at Mount Bowen near Sydney and the other near the country town of Ilford, far from the city lights.

History

The Society was founded in 1954 as the "Sydney Amateur Astronomers" by Gordon Patston, an aerospace engineer lecturing at Sydney Technical College. The club started with about fifteen members, and Patston was the president. The first meetings were held in the garage behind Patston's house in the suburb of Belfield.^[2]

As the group attracted new members, it soon out-grew the garage, and the Patston family allowed their backyard to be used to build a permanent clubhouse. Nearly all the work was done by club volunteers, and on 18 September 1959 the new facility was officially opened by the internationally famous astronomer Bart Bok, then Director of Mount Stromlo Observatory. This gave the club a sense of purpose and importance, and the club grew rapidly to become a leading amateur astronomy organisation.

The club was very active through the late 1950s and 1960s, with general-interest events such as public open nights, and sections for special purposes such as a very active junior section. It also worked with professional observers on a number of research projects, including a flare star observing program at the request of the CSIRO, and measuring transits of artificial satellites across the moon as part of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's "Project Moonwatch".^[3](p85) After the first Sputnik launch on 4 October 1957, a program for observing artificial satellites was set up at very short notice, and it succeeded in being the first group in the world to see the first satellite, Sputnik I, in October 1957^[4] and they went on to record three of the first four Sputnik observations.^[2][5]

In 1964, the society's name was changed to the "Astronomical Society of New South Wales", to better reflect the scope of its membership.

In 1969/70, the Society suffered two major setbacks. First, the Society lost its headquarters when the Council re-zoned and subdivided the Patstons' block of land, and it was sold. Second, the Society lost its president when Gordon Patston moved to England to take up a Churchill Fellowship studying aeronautical engineering. That combination of events caused severe financial hardship for the club, and the lack of a permanent venue initially made it difficult to attract and retain members; at its lowest point in the mid-1970s, membership numbers dropped to less than fifty.^{[6]("Ken Wallace")} It took nearly ten years to build membership back up to previous levels.^[2]

In 1973 the Society acquired a long-term lease from the government for the Crago Observatory site on Bowen mountain, but in spite of being used regularly the official inauguration was not held until 20 years later, in 1993. Then in 1987, the society purchased the Wiruna property near Ilford, to get away from the increasing glare of the city lights which interfered with observing.^[3](pp87,88)

Meanwhile in 1985, the Society was incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act.^[7]

The Society was an early adopter of computer and communications technology, establishing their Web site in April 1995.^[3](p87)

Activities

Meetings

The Society normally holds two general meetings each month, timed to make use of those Friday evenings when observing is difficult because of the presence of the Moon. These meetings can take different formats: some meetings have invited speakers who are professional astronomers, academics, researchers or other qualified specialists. They provide insight into the latest developments in fields related to astronomy. Other meetings are less formal, often with presentations by members from within the Society about their own recent activities or research, or workshops on topics such as telescope maintenance, exchanging techniques, tips and experiences. Individual sections within the Society (especially the astroimaging section) also hold their own meetings; schedules are set according to the level of member interest at the time.^[8]

South Pacific Star Party

Early arrivals at the 2003 South Pacific Star Party start setting up their telescopes on the observing field.

A highlight of the Society's year is its "South Pacific Star Party" (SPSP), which was described by Forbes magazine as "a weekend of star watching beneath one of the world's darkest skies".^[9] The Star party is held at the Society's dark-sky observing site "Wiruna", attracting between 200 and 400 star-gazers from Australia and visitors from as far afield as England, South America, Norway, Iceland and the United States. The Ilford region normally has a population of 306,^[10] so the star party can effectively double that population for the weekend. It is also a fund-raising opportunity for the local Scouts who provide hot food.^[11][12]

The format of the star party includes daytime lectures, workshops for the children, vendor stalls, a swap meet, and competitions for astro-photography and telescope making. Evenings are devoted to observing, supplemented with sky tours conducted by society volunteers for those who are less familiar with the Australian night sky, or who just want some help to find more challenging objects. When the SPSP was started in 1993, it was timed to coincide with the Texas Star Party, and this continued for the first five SPSPs with "HAM" amateur radio hobbyists keeping the two events in touch on opposite sides of the world.^[3](p89) As a last resort in the case of bad weather, trivia contests are held in the large hall until the stars come out again.^[13][14][15]

Observing sessions

Tony Buckley (at left), past president of the Society, setting up his telescope at Wiruna

Regular monthly observing

In most months, the ASNSW holds two scheduled observing sessions:^[16]

• on the weekend nearest new moon, at their dark-sky site "Wiruna" near Ilford, where about 20–50 members attend with their own telescopes or make use of the club's equipment; and
• on the weekend before or after new moon, at the society's Crago Observatory closer to Sydney. Again, members attend with their own telescopes or make use of the club's equipment which is permanently on site.

School Events

Society members volunteer to conduct gatherings throughout the year, bringing their telescopes to Sydney's schools to give students and teachers the opportunity to experience astronomy for themselves. These nights support the Society's charter "to promote public interest and education in astronomy."^[17]

In particular, the Society has forged a close partnership with Tara Anglican School for Girls and Oxford University in an innovative astronomy program called Space Odyssey. Students in years 9 to 11 from Tara and other schools use a range of telescopes and associated technology at Tara to learn practical astronomy and imaging. Society members act a mentors, as well as running classes at the school and hosting groups at their Crago Observatory.^[18]

Local astronomy Open Nights

The society arranges these Open Nights for people who live in more remote areas, making it impractical to attend such events held in metropolitan areas. Society members bring their own telescopes and act as guides through the night sky. One such regular event held at Ilford (the town closest to the Society's site "Wiruna") attracted over 350 local visitors.^[19]

University Open Nights

Macquarie University holds Astronomy Open Nights which attract over 1000 visitors. ASNSW members support these events by bringing their own telescopes to provide carpark observing throughout the evening.^[20]

Publications

• UNIVERSE is the journal of the Society, published monthly since June 1964. It aims to "keep members in touch with what is happening in the world of Astronomy, as well as providing readers with a number of personal accounts of observing sessions and Astronomical discoveries."^[7][21]
• AstroCards were used to communicate urgent messages to members, for observing time-critical events such as novae and near-Earth asteroids. They began in 1983, but were discontinued when widespread access to electronic communication such as email became a more practicable way to distribute this information.

Observing facilities

Crago observatory photographed in 2011

The Society has two main observing sites where regular observing sessions are held for members and visitors:

• Wiruna (Aboriginal for "Sunset") is a 43 hectare (110 acre) site near the country town of Ilford, three to four hours' drive north-west of Sydney, which Forbes magazine included in its list of the "world's best places to see the stars".^[9] It has observation facilities, two large clear fields where members can set up their own equipment (one for visual observation and the other for imaging), a large meeting hall and amenities block, and some basic accommodations, although most people choose to camp. Two substantial telescopes are maintained on site: a 17½” ƒ/4.5 Dobsonian and a 25” ƒ/5 Obsession telescope, both housed in roll-off sheds. Scheduled observing for members and guests is held there every new moon weekend. This is also the venue for the annual South Pacific Star Party. Wiruna also has abundant local wildlife, making it popular with nature lovers.^[13][22]
• Crago Observatory is a permanent observatory with a 16" ƒ/7 Dobsonian telescope enclosed in a large rotating dome. The Observatory is located on Bowen Mountain, in the Blue Mountains National Park near Richmond, about an hour's drive north-west of Sydney. The area around the observatory has been cleared,allowing members to set up their own viewing and imaging equipment. Visitors are welcome at scheduled observing sessions.^[23]

Notable members' achievements

Three members of the society listed below have collectively discovered well over 500 comets, asteroids (minor planets), and novae.^[24][25]

• Robert Evans holds the world record for the number of visual discoveries of supernovae by an individual amateur; as of January 2009, his total came to 42 visual supernova discoveries plus one comet.^[24] Supernova 1983N, spotted by Evans in 1983 in the galaxy M83 long before it reached its peak, turned out to be the first discovery of a new type of supernova, later named Type 1b.^[26] His efforts have been recognised by the American Association of Variable Star Observers awarding him their Nova/Supernova Award fifteen times,^[27] the Astronomical Society of Australia awarding their Berenice Page Medal in 1986^[28] and the ASNSW awarding their most prestigious honour, the McNiven Medal, in 1996.^[6] He received the Order of Australia in 1988 for his contributions to science.^[29]

Comet C/2006 P1 McNaught as seen from Swift's Creek, Victoria on 23 January 2007

• Robert McNaught has been described as "the world's greatest comet discoverer"^[30] – he is certainly a prolific discoverer of asteroids and comets; as of 15 June 2014, the International Astronomical Union lists him as the discoverer of 458 minor planets,^[25] and NASA lists 72 comets and asteroids bearing his name.^[31] He is perhaps best known to the public for his discovery of comet C/2006 P1, also known as the "Great Comet of 2007", which was the second-brightest comet since reliable records began.^[32] He is involved in the search for Near Earth Asteroids. He was first to photograph Supernova 1987A in the LMC. His close association with the ASNSW over many years includes delivering the guest lecture to the South Pacific Star Party, and he was awarded the Society's most prestigious honour, the McNiven Medal, in 1997.^[6]
• Gordon Garradd has been a diligent and productive discoverer of asteroids, supernovae and novae for nearly a quarter of a century; as of 15 June 2014, the International Astronomical Union lists him as the discoverer of 30 minor planets.^[25] Mr Garradd has an asteroid named after him, 5066 Garradd,^[33] and also sixteen comets are named after him,^[34] including C/2009 P1^[35] which became well known in 2012 when it was photographed by the Deep Impact (spacecraft) spacecraft.^[36] He went beyond discovering these objects by also finding their astrometric positions, and he is also recognised for his search for Near Earth Asteroids using CCD imagery. He discovered four novae in the Large Magellanic Cloud as of 1998. Mr. Garradd was recognised in 1998 with the presentation of the Astronomical Society of Australia's prestigious Berenice Page Medal.^[28] He joined the Astronomical Society of NSW in 1974, and he was awarded this Society's most prestigious honour, the McNiven Medal, in 1998.^[6]
• The society's Sydney Moonwatch station was the first group in the world to observe the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in October 1957^[4] and they went on to record three of the first four Sputnik observations.^[5]
• The Society's web page was awarded the StudyWeb^TM Academic Excellence Award, as one of the best educational resources on the Web, and the Links²Go Key Resource Award for Australian Astronomy, as the page most cited by other Web pages within its field.^[37]

See also

• List of astronomical societies

References

Further reading

• Flavin, John (2011). Our Belfield years: a scrapbook of some of the people and events of the early years of the Sydney Amateur Astronomers and the Astronomical Society of New South Wales (1st ed.). Vineyard, N.S.W.: John Flavin. ISBN 9780646562179. 

External links

• ASNSW website
• ASNSW Facebook page