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20-553: The society meets every Thursday night at the Green Point Observatory . These meetings can take different formats: some meetings have invited speakers who are professional astronomers or specialists in related fields, keeping members updated with the latest developments in research and technology. Other meetings are less formal, with members holding discussions among themselves, exchanging techniques, tips and experiences, capturing and processing images, or just observing through

40-408: A Celestron 14 inches (36 cm) Schmidt Cassegrain telescope was added, along with CCD imaging equipment. The observatory was closed for much of 2007 as further additions were made. The two buildings were joined into one, the meeting hall was extended to seat 100 people, and a unisex toilet and library annexe were added. During COVID-19 lockdowns, extensive maintenance works were undertaken and

60-399: A transit of Venus from Tahiti . The Society obtained Council land at Oyster Bay and commenced construction on the Green Point Observatory , the first stage of which, consisting of a dome and library, was completed in 1969. The observatory was extended in 1974 when a meeting hall was added, and further extended in 1997 when the roll-off roof observatory was added, and further in 2007 when

80-578: A 35 centimetres (14 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope . The observatory is used by members of the society for observing stars and eclipses, research, astro imaging as well as hosting public education courses and monthly open nights. The observatory was first constructed on the site, completed in 1969 following the founding of the Sutherland Astronomical Society, then known as the James Cook Astronomers Club. At that time,

100-717: A number of public outreach events, including: To assist with these activities, the society is authorized by the police to use high-powered lasers for astronomical purposes. The Society was formed in June 1961, and was then known as the James Cook Astronomers Club (JCAC), named after Captain James Cook , English explorer who first landed in Australia at Kurnell (a suburb in the Sutherland Shire) after successfully observing

120-541: Is a private astronomical observatory in Oyster Bay , Sydney , Australia , and it is the home of the Sutherland Astronomical Society . It is located at the corner of Green Point and Caravan Head Roads. It consists of a dome, a roll-off roof observatory, a library, and a meeting hall seating 100 people. The dome and observatory house two large telescopes: a 41 centimetres (16 in) Newtonian telescope and

140-465: Is an international nonprofit organization. Founded in 1911, the organization focuses on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers . The AAVSO creates records that establish light curves depicting the variation in brightness of a star over time. The AAVSO makes these records available to professional astronomers , researchers, and educators. Professional astronomers do not have

160-602: Is quoted regularly in scientific journals. The International Variable Star Index (VSX) website, maintained by the AAVSO, is cataloging (as of November 2023) 2,277,999 variable stars. The AAVSO is also very active in education and public outreach. They routinely hold training workshops for citizen science and publish papers with amateurs as co-authors. In the 1990s, the AAVSO developed the Hands-On Astrophysics curriculum, now known as Variable Star Astronomy (with support from

180-550: The Associations Incorporation Act and the word "Incorporated" was added to the name. In 1966, the James Cook Astronomers Club (as SASI was then known) and the Canberra Astronomical Society met to discuss holding a convention for amateur astronomers across Australia. These discussions resulted in the first National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers (NACAA) being held over Easter 1967 at

200-777: The Australian National University in Canberra, jointly hosted by the James Cook Astronomers Club and the Pacific Astronomical Society These two clubs merged to form SASI, which has since co-hosted conventions in Katoomba (1966), Canberra (1967), Sydney (1988) and Penrith (2008) and sole hosts in 1998 at Sutherland . When the Astronomy celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2011, the famous astronomer Fred Watson addressed their commemorative dinner, which

220-569: The National Science Foundation [NSF]). In 2009, the AAVSO was awarded a three-year $ 800,000 grant from the NSF to run Citizen Sky, a pro-am collaboration project examining the 2009-2011 eclipse of the star epsilon Aurigae . The AAVSO headquarters was originally located at the residence of its founder William T. Olcott in Norwich, Connecticut . Minor Planet (8900) AAVSO is named after

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240-619: The Executive Director of the AAVSO is Brian Kloppenborg. Before he assumed this role, Kathy Spirer worked in this capacity for nine months, following the resignation of Styliani ("Stella") Kafka -who was in charge from February 2015 till the ember months of 2021. She succeeded Arne Henden . The previous director of the AAVSO for many decades was Janet Mattei , who died in March 2004 of leukemia . The AAVSO currently has over 2,000 members and observers, with approximately half of them from outside

260-479: The observatory consisted of a dome housing a 41 centimetres (16 in) Newtonian telescope and small library. The telescope was made by members of the Society, and it is named in honour of Keith Selby, who was a founder of the Society. In 1974, a foyer and meeting hall accommodating 50 people was added. In 1997, a roll-off roof observatory and storeroom was added adjacent to the existing observatory. Soon afterwards,

280-694: The observatory resumed public operations in August 2022. The 41cm Selby telescope was upgraded so it is driven by computer, to improve its usability. The observatory hosts annual public star parties, an annual astronomy course, group bookings for school/scout/community groups as well as excellent facilities for the members of the Sutherland Astronomical Society to meet, image and conduct research. 34°00′07″S 151°04′24″E  /  34.00181°S 151.07326°E  / -34.00181; 151.07326 American Association of Variable Star Observers The American Association of Variable Star Observers ( AAVSO )

300-475: The organization. After AAVSO's incorporation in 1918, it unofficially moved to Harvard College Observatory , which later served as the official AAVSO headquarters (1931–1953). Thereafter, it moved around Cambridge before their first building was purchased in 1985 - The Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center. In 2007, the AAVSO purchased and moved into the recently vacated premises of Sky & Telescope magazine. As of September 16, 2022,

320-533: The resources to monitor every variable star . Hence, astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can make significant contributions to research. In 2011, the 100th year of the AAVSO's existence, the twenty-millionth variable star observation was received into their database. The AAVSO International Database (AID) has stored over thirty-five million observations as of 2019. The organization receives nearly 1,000,000 observations annually from an estimated amount of 2,000 professional and amateur observers, and

340-617: The society's telescopes which are kept on site. In 2016, the society will once again host the prestigious National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers (NACAA). This will be the sixth time the society has hosted or co-hosted NACAA. The society produces a regular official publication for members, named the Southern Observer Journal . (OCLC Number: 222056167). They support the Public Education Foundation's Stellar Astronomy Scholarship for Girls by providing

360-561: The two buildings were merged, and the meeting hall extended, toilet added and kitchen improved. The JCAC merged with the Pacific Astronomical Society in 1972 and the name was changed to the James Cook Astronomical Society . The name was further changed to Sutherland Astronomical Society in 1978 to further identify the society in the geographical area in which it is located. The Society was incorporated under

380-488: The winner with society membership and mentoring. The society is very active at promoting observational astronomy to the public, as well as for its own members at their Green Point Observatory , which is classified as a "designated" optical observatory by the Astronomical Society of Australia on the basis that it is judged to be a valuable astronomical resource for research, education and community use. They conduct

400-749: Was also covered by the press. The Society logo is the galaxy NGC2997 in Antlia and was adopted in 1979 and updated in 2008. Members of the Society have made the following discoveries: Each of the two comet discoveries above brought Williams and Lee the Edgar Wilson Award for their discoveries. Each of the two nova discoveries above brought Williams the Nova/Supernova Award of the American Association of Variable Star Observers . Green Point Observatory Green Point Observatory

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