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Welcome to Houston Astronomical Society

Founded in 1955, Houston Astronomical Society is an active community of enthusiastic amateur and professional astronomers with over 60 years of history in the Houston area. The club meets on the first Friday of each month at the University of Houston. Membership has a variety of benefits, including access to a secure dark site west of Houston, a telescope loaner program, and much more. Joining our club is simple; you can sign up online, by mail or in person at a monthly meeting.

May 14, 2012, 7:30PM: Basic Observational Astronomy Course Part II

Part Two of the class will be held starting on May 14th from 7:30 to 9:30 PM. The classes will be held at the HEB community room located at Bunker Hill and Interstate 10 (Katy Freeway). The HEB is at the northwest corner of that main intersection, just turn north and turn left at the first light, which is actually controls cross traffic from the parking lots on either side of Bunker Hill. The community room is outside on the main sidewalk between the two store entrances, so you don’t even need to go inside the store. The bathrooms are inside however.

We will touch on a very short section on the history of astronomy, but the bulk of the class will concentrate on equipment, including types of telescopes, mounts, eyepieces, barlows, filters, flashlights, and viewing techniques. The second night will be all about observing techniques, constellations, astronomical programs, star-hopping, sky conditions, recording your observations, and lunar and planetary viewing. Sign up on the list-server for more information.

To register (or if you have questions), send an email directly to Gordon Houston at seagordoa (at) aol.com.

May 19, 2012, 2:00PM: Club Star Party

On Saturday 19 May HAS will hold a Members only star party at the Columbus Observatory site! All HAS members and their family members are invited to attend. Gates will be opened at 2:00pm on Saturday.

June 01, 2012: June Monthly Meeting

Novice Meeting: 7:00PM
Novice Meeting Topic: 
An Introduction to Astrophotography
Novice Meeting Speaker: 
Greg Barolak (HAS)
General Meeting: 8:00PM
General Meeting Topic: 
Astronomy Year in Review
General Meeting Speaker: 
Bob Taylor
About the General Meeting Presentation

Bob Taylor from JSCAS will talk about many of the interesting and exciting things that happened in Astronomy during 2011.

Parking and Directions (View Map)

Meetings are held in the Science & Research building at the University of Houston Main Campus. The novice meeting is in room 116, the general meeting is in room 117.

Do not try to park around any of the old parking lots due to the construction on the new parking garage. Drive a short distance down Cullen to Parking lot 15D or 15F which is were they have moved the staff parking lot (the gates will be open). DO NOT PARK IN ANY OF THE ASSIGNED STAFF PARKING SPACES; The assigned staff parking spaces will be noted like the old parking lot with number parking painted on the ground. Normally, this will be the FIRST and SECOND rows. Jefferson stadium is the home stadium for the Houston Dynamo soccer team and on Friday nights of their home games please let the parking attendant know you are there for the HAS monthly meeting and you wont have to pay parking.

June 05, 2012, 4:00PM: Transit of Venus

On June 5, 2012, Venus will cross the solar disc as seen from Earth, and it won’t happen again until 2117. Don’t miss your chance to see it—join HAS in Bear Creek Park!

Start time: 4:00 PM with introduction
Transit: begins at 5:05 PM (but you should be in place early to see the beginning)
Sunset: 8:20 PM – transit in progress at sunset

Shallow Sky Object of the Month: Moon Dance

Original article appears in GuideStar May, 2012.

The moon setting just before mid-night on May 25, 2012. From TheSkyX

Object: The Moon
Class: An event, actually a non-event
Optics needed: You can see the moon rise and set without optical aid.

Why this is interesting:

We tend to think about the moon rising and setting each day. Most of us who like to get out and observe under dark skies are aware of moon rise and set times. I was just checking the weather reports for the week and noticed that on this coming Thurday (April 24), there’s no moonset. How can that be?

John Haynes: A Guidestar Interview

Original article appears in GuideStar May, 2012.
Interview by Clayton Jeter

Clayton JeterJohn Haynes is one of those guys that you wished all club members were like. ‘Key Word’ describing John Haynes: Dedicated. He’s our very own H.A.S. society’s keeper of the loaner telescopes. Believe me when I tell of all the work and time that goes into this job. I had that task for seven (7) years in the past. Whew…what a job! I really admire John for all of this work. But wait… there’s more. This guy works out at the Columbus site on a regular basis, attends all board meetings, and is visible at almost all of the clubs star parties. Another ‘Key Word’ describing John: Busy!

In this month’s interview, we are going to take a peek at one of our very own and figure out where he gets all of his energy and passion. Here’s Johnny…

Dave Kriege: A Guidestar Interview

Original article appears in GuideStar April, 2012.

Clayton JeterDave Kriege is and has been a recognized name in the astronomy communities throughout the world. Dave is the maker of the fine “Obsession” Dobsonian telescope. I have always thought that John Dobson was the person that had the idea, “Coulter” telescopes got the revolution started, but it was Dave’s “Obsession” scopes that perfected this design and are now at star parties around the country (world). There are thousands!

He makes two designs; the Classic and the newer Ultra Compact (UC). Both versions have beautiful design and built in quality. Stunning to use on the field is an understatement.

I know you guys have been waiting on me to finally interview this well-known telescope maker. The time has come… here’s Dave…

Access Members-Only Site Features

If you're a current member, you'll want to log in and check out the member features. As a member, you can post photo galleries, edit your club profile, send private messages to other members, post in the trading forum, and more. If you have a valid email address on file with the club, you already have an account ready to go. Here's how to access it:

  • Go to the Password Reset page
  • Type in your email address and click "E-mail new password"
  • Check your email and follow the instructions in the password reset message

If you have any problems, drop a note to webmaster@astronomyhouston.org and we'll get you sorted out.