Welcome to the Peoria Astronomical Society!

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The Peoria Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization of amateur astronomers from Peoria, Illinois and the surrounding community.

+++Upcomming Events!+++

Beginner Telescope Clinic : Bring your telescope to Northmoor Observatory (map) on any of the following dates, and we'll teach you setup and polar alignment procedures to get the most out of your observing! These events are free to the public and we invite everyone out who would like to learn more about their telescope.
We will have experts who know a great deal about Dobsonians and Equatorial style mounts.
These sessions will be held on the second Saturdays of the summer months as follows:
June 8th, July 13th, and August 10th
The hours will be 6-8 PM.

The star party at Jubilee for the ICC Class will be attempted again this summer.
5/18/13: Star Party at Northmoor Observatory (1st qtr moon) Note: this was listed in the starlite as May 11th, but has been advanced to 5/18. We will be having a star party out at Northmoor Observatory at Donavon Golf Course on Saturday, May 18th.This is 1st quarter moon weekend and we are also asking the members who have telescopes and are having troubles with them to bring them out. If you know anyone who has a telescope and having troubles with it, have them bring it out also.
5/31, 6/1: 3rd quarter moon
6/8: Members star party Saturday Night @ Jubilee observatory
7/6: Members star party Saturday Night @ Jubilee observatory
8/3: Members star party Saturday Night @ Jubilee observatory
Observing night at Lake Thunderbird coming up. The date is TBD.
9/21: Annual meeting - Will be held at Kickapoo Sportsman's Club with John Briggs as the featured speaker.
10/12: Peoria Public Library’s Observe the Moon night at NorthMoor.

Meetings

Our regular meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month, at 7:30 pm. The members' meeting is a great place to meet other members, swap stories, and learn more about astronomy. The meetings are always free and open to the public. During the summer months (June, July, and August), we do not hold regular meetings. Instead we plan a star party event each month! In September, we have our Annual Banquet, which takes the place of our September monthly meeting.

Please note that we will no longer be meeting at the Lakeview Museum.

Starting at the November 2012 all-members meeting, we will be meeting at the new Planetarium in downtown Peoria! (details below)

Parking at Peoria Riverfront Museum Planetarium:

If you park on the Washington Street side of the museum, come in the front entrance, then go down the hallway to the left; the planetarium is at the end of that hallway.

You can also park in the deck beneath the museum, which you enter from Water Street. (I don't know how much it will cost to park.) If you park on the Water Street side (along the street, in the deck beneath the restaurants, or in the lot next to Martinis), come in through the parking deck beneath the museum. Come into the museum through the double doors at the far left side of the parking deck. At the end of the hallway there are stairs and an elevator. Come up to the second floor and walk down the hallway to the planetarium.

Our board meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Hardee's in the Northpoint Shopping Plaza at 7:30 pm, and is open to all PAS members.

Observatories

The Peoria Astronomical Society maintains two observatories.

Northmoor Observatory is open to the public every cloudless Saturday night from the beginning of May through the end of October. You will find volunteers on hand to aid you in your discovery of the cosmos, from sunset until midnight. Private groups can also be scheduled any other time. Contact the Northmoor Observatory chairman for more information. Northmoor observatory has a brand new dome! Click here to read all about it!

Jubilee Observatory can be scheduled by any group almost any time. Please contact the Jubilee Observatory Chairman for more information.

We also have a variety of "loaner" telescopes available for members to use.

Membership

Membership to the Peoria Astronomical Society is open to anyone with an interest in astronomy. We are a family oriented club and sponsor various activities throughout the year to encourage family involvement. Annual dues are $30.00 per family per year. Benefits of membership include:

• Subscription to our newsletter "The StarLite"
• Membership in the Astronomical League
• Subscription to the Astronomical League's newsletter, "The Reflector"
• Membership in the Peoria Academy of Science
• Use of the society's numerous telescopes
• Members may become keyholders to any of our observatories
• The option to join the PAS email list
• Fellowship with other amateur astronomers and others whose eyes are turned to the stars!

Interested in joining? Simply download the printable membership application and mail it in!

Awards and Recognition

View the club Awards and Recognition Page

More Information

View the club By Laws

For more information, contact us by email or write to us at:

Peoria Astronomical Society
PO Box 10111
Peoria, IL 61612-0111

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