Milwaukee Astronomical Society

Milwaukee Astronomical Society Membership Information

Thank you for your interest in The Milwaukee Astronomical Society (MAS). We hope you have had an opportunity to visit the MAS Observatory in New Berlin, WI, and to discuss the operation and purpose of the Society with one of our members. The MAS is one of oldest and largest amateur astronomical organizations in the United States. Since 1932, the Society has provided a forum for members and non-members alike to learn about astronomy and the universe around them. Membership in the MAS offers many benefits, and we invite you to join us and begin your very own lifelong astronomical odyssey!

To begin your membership with the MAS, complete the requested information on the accompanying sheet and forward to the address listed. Please read and understand the points discussed below before you apply for membership. All of this information can also be found at www.milwaukeeastro.org.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to all individuals and families with an interest in learning more about the science of astronomy. Dues rates for all classifications are shown on the accompanying membership application form. Definitions of membership classifications are as follows:

 REGULAR – Residents of the Wisconsin counties of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington over 18 years of age. A group Family membership is available at a slightly higher cost.  NON-RESIDENT – An applicant with a mailing address outside the four-county area listed under REGULAR membership may join at this reduced rate. A group Family membership is available at slightly higher cost.  STUDENT – There are no residency restrictions. An applicant must be under age 18 to qualify. Family memberships for this classifications are not available.

The Society operates on a September 1 to August 31 fiscal year. Dues are due by August 31 st of each year to maintain in good standing. Note that new members joining the Society between December 1 and June 1 receive a partial credit of dues paid toward what is owed in the next fiscal year. Credit amounts are available on the renewal cards sent out in August. New members joining between June 1 and December 1 are 100% prorated and are not required to pay dues again until August 31st of the following year.

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

Discounted subscriptions are available to all members for Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazines. All subscription orders are compiled and sent to the publishers in the fall to simplify processing. Payment for subscriptions should be combined with membership dues at the time of application. The best time to order a subscription is during the annual fall membership renewal time. Please send in your renewal by the end of August to ensure timely arrival of magazines.

NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscriptions to either magazine begin with the January issue. Applicants joining between January 1 and May 31 will receive all issues starting with the previous January.

CURRENT SUBSCRIPTIONS: Members can convert existing subscriptions to either magazine to the Society’s rates upon expiration. Providing subscription information such as account numbers will facilitate account conversions. The member makes payment for the next calendar year’s subscription with the next regular dues payment in August.

The Society offers its members the opportunity to purchase various publications including books and calendars at reduced rates. Such offerings are made at various times during the year. Further details are available at meetings and/or through our newsletter.

NEWSLETTER AND ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Milwaukee Astronomical Society includes a subscription to our newsletter and membership in a regional/national astronomical group.

The Focal Point is the newsletter of the Milwaukee Astronomical Society. It is published bi-monthly on the first week of January, March, May, July, September and November. It is either e-mailed or sent via US Mail to the member’s home immediately after printing. The Focal Point contains news and articles pertinent to the Society and the amateur astronomical community. Each issue includes meeting information, Society officer contacts, and an events calendar along with news about the Observatory library and an Observatory Keyholder schedule. The Focal Point is considered the lifeline of the MAS. The MAS website is at www.milwaukeeastro.org.

MAS membership also includes membership in the Astronomical League (AL), a federation of some 200 amateur groups across the U.S. The AL offers several observing programs among a host of membership benefits too numerous to list here. Ask the MAS ALCor (Astronomical League Correspondent) for more details. MAS members receive the AL’s quarterly publication, The Reflector, in February, May, August, and November by direct mail. The AL also sponsors a National Convention hosted by a member organization during the summer of each year. Their website is at www.astroleague.org.

THE OBSERVATORY AND LIBRARY

The MAS Observatory and Library, 18850 W Observatory Road, New Berlin, WI (one mile west of Calhoun Road) is available for member’s use any night a Keyholder is available. On Saturday evening, a Keyholder will open the Observatory and be available in instruct new members on the use of the equipment. Procedural instructions for using the Observatory are sent to new members upon membership acceptance notification. A list of scheduled Keyholders for a six- to eight-week period is listed in the Focal Point. Members are invited to participate in ongoing observing programs like variable stars, standard and grazing lunar occultations, deep-sky objects, and the planets, and in short-term projects like eclipses, comets, meteor showers, and auroras. Information on these observing programs are distributed by e-mail or on our web site (www.milwaukeeastro.com).

Members can use the Observatory grounds when unattended by obtaining a key (at a one-time cost of $2) from the Observatory Director. The key allows access to the Observatory’s parking lot and an outside electrical power connection. A $5 key allows members to access a 10” f/6 telescope with electronic digital setting circles in a roll off shed on the Observatory grounds. Neither of these keys allow entry to any of the main buildings. Members who become active users of the facility and pledge to help maintain it on a regular basis may petition the Board of Directors for full Keyholder status at a cost of $10.

The Observatory houses a good collection of popular books on all astronomical topics, reference volumes, star atlases, charts and slides. The library contains a selection of vertical files on numerous topics of astronomical interest, as well as MAS historical material. A collection of audio and video tapes as well as computer software is also kept on site. Most of these materials are available to members for checkout on Saturday Member’s Nights and other times when a Keyholder is at the Observatory or by appointment with the weekly Keyholder.

MEETINGS, CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, AND SPECIAL EVENTS

The MAS conducts general membership meetings from September through May of each year. Once each year, the Society sponsors an annual member’s dinner at an area restaurant. The December meeting is typically held at a local restaurant and one meeting is a picnic during July. A map showing the meeting location each month is included in every Focal Point. Meetings are usually held on the third Friday evening each month, however the exact date can vary depending upon schedule conflicts. A 20- to 30-minute business meeting precedes the main program. The Society usually invites a professional astronomer or scientist for a formal one-hour long presentation about a topic of relevance to astronomy or the allied sciences.

Occasionally, the Society sponsors a field trip in lieu of a membership meeting. A favorite trip in past years has been to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL, with optional excursions to the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry. The Society has also sponsored trips to Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, WI, and the astronomy departments of UW-Madison and UW- Whitewater.

Once each year the Society reserves camping sites in the Northern Unit (Greenbush) of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. These weekend excursions usually occur in late-September or early-October for the purposes of escaping light polluted Milwaukee skies to pursue deep-sky observing at its finest. MAS “camp-outs” provide an opportunity for all members to enjoy their hobby in the great outdoors among fellow amateur astronomers.

The Society has conducted formal astronomy classes through UW-Waukesha at the MAS Observatory twice each year. The classes are taught by an MAS member and involve learning basic observing techniques as well as telescope instrumentation and astrophotography. Sometimes telescope making classes are also offered.

Many MAS members have built their own telescopes in recent years through a Society sponsored telescope making workshop. These workshops are conducted by a few knowledgeable members on weekends during winter months. The workshop is offered every few years based on membership interest and the availability of instructors. Members participate in the workshop by learning basic telescope design and construction and usually build a six- or eight-inch Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian-type mount, similar in design to the loaner telescopes described below.

There are dozens of annual star parties and astronomical conventions held around the U.S. every year. Astrofest, sponsored by the Chicago Astronomical Society and held at a camp near Kankakee, IL each September on a weekend near the New Moon, is one of the largest. The MAS usually provides a large participating contingent. Astrofest is famous for attracting huge numbers of telescope makers and celestial observers alike. It is a great place to see unique home-built equipment, observe under relatively dark skies, and share the camaraderie of amateur astronomy with enthusiasts from all over the U.S.

LOANER TELESCOPE PROGRAM

Two member built eight-inch Newtonian Dobsonian reflectors are currently available for checkout and use by members at their home or another location. The telescopes may be checked out for up to four weeks at a time. There is no charge for this program, but members must sign a form pledging to reimburse the Society in the event of damage or loss. Loaner telescopes are available to new members only after a completed membership application, accompanied by proper dues payment, has been approved by the Board of Directors. Several eyepieces and a beginning set of star charts are provided with the telescopes. Additional information about this program is available on request.

THE ORGANIZATION

The Milwaukee Astronomical Society is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of Wisconsin. The Society offers membership to all people of all ages. Founded in 1932, the Society was incorporated in 1934 and is recognized by all Federal and State of Wisconsin tax authorities as tax exempt. The Society’s activities and the operation of the Observatory are funded by membership dues and assessments, investments and savings, donations, bequests, and endowments, and income from programs sponsored on behalf of the general public. The Society does not receive State or Federal funding. The Society is governed by an eleven member Board of Directors elected to three-year terms by the membership, and by five officers elected by the Board. The MAS has no paid staff members. All services performed for the Society by its members are strictly voluntary.

Document: MAS App Info.wps, Updated 6/08/2003