Astronomical League Observing Clubs

One useful tool I have found this year for expanding my interest in the sky is the collection of "Observing Clubs" sponsored by the Astronomical League (AL). During the last year I became a member at large of the AL after looking through their website and seeing the wide range of activities they sponsor.

Just as a bit of history, the AL is a national organization of local astronomy clubs, associations, and organizations. The league has been around since dirt was young and is a known voice in promoting amateur astronomy and especially amateur observing. The observing clubs, and there are a couple dozen of them, are proposed by local groups and often administered by the local astronomy organizations. The observing clubs all have the general framework of a set of requirements that need to be met to be recognized as having met those requirements. For an old boy scout like me, it seems a lot like the merit badge requirements of the Boy Scouts of America.

This means that an individual who is a member of the AL can set out to show that they have accomplished the requirements and then be awarded a certificate or pin to show they have done so. That is a refreshingly simple idea in a world which is dominated by achievements that require political machinery, gobs of money, or overwhelming popularity. It is a simple idea - no competition, no election, no investment of money - just set out to fulfil the requirements and the award will be mine.

Another aspect of the observing clubs that reminds me of the Boy Scouts is that the different clubs tend to draw me into astronomy on a wider scale than I might be interested in on my own. There are clubs that encourage observation of deep sky objects, planets, double stars, variable stars, and even naked eye observing. There are clubs that focus on use of binoculars, quite a number that require telescopes and dark skies, and there are those that require astrophotography. The chasing of comets, asteroids, and meteors all have their separate clubs. There is even a club - the master observer - that honors amateurs that have earned awards in a number of clubs, including some of the most difficult.

It has been said that there are many observing lists on the internet for the interested amateur to pursue. However, the observing clubs of the AL are a diverse group of clubs at a moderately difficult level. They have the advantage of helping a new observer like me to set some goals with the reasonable chance of achieving those goals.

Over the last 8 months I set out to see the Messier Objects. So far I have seen all but 6 of them. I am looking forward to sending in my logs and get recognition for having done so. Along the way I observed 60 of the Messier objects through my binoculars. That is another club. I am working on the Urban list which is designed for the observer who has less than optimal skies available. I have begun to look at two of the advanced observing lists - the Caldwell and Hershell lists. There are open cluster lists and double star lists and variable star lists that I am thinking about.

One thing that pursuing the AL Observing Club lists has done for my observing is to make me begin to record my observations in a much more rigorous manner than I had before. I think this has improved my understanding of the sky and will be a lasting treasure for me to review in the future. I am now following several of the lists in a spreadsheet on my computer and keeping a logbook entry with a page for each object that I observe for the first time. It has been fun to see that log book getting thicker as the year has progressed.

All in all, I think that the AL observing clubs have made me a better amateur observer in the following ways:

- The clubs have given me goals to focus my efforts to learn more about observing
- The clubs have widened my interests and my knowledge of sections of astronomy that I might not have otherwise been drawn toward
- The clubs have improved my record keeping and this has increased my enjoyment of the sport