Macarthur Astronomical Society

Objectives and activities

The constitutionally adopted objectives of the Society are: (i) to foster the science of Astronomy; (ii) to organise observational field nights for the purpose of carrying out astronomical observation; (iii) to assist and give advice regarding astronomical instrumentation; and (iv) to participate in/co-operate with other scientific societies and groups with a similar scientific interest in astronomy.

In keeping with these objectives, the Society's three core activities are:

1. The Macarthur Astronomy Forum.
2. Dark sky astronomical observing nights for members. These are held regularly at two locations: the Dudley Chesham Sports ground at The Oaks, owned by Wollondilly Council; and a property at Belanglo Forest, owned by International House, University of Sydney, for the purpose of telescopic observing and astro-imaging.
3. Public outreach events, which include visits to schools and other community organisations; and open nights for the general public, generally held at either the Campbelltown Rotary Observatory at Western Sydney University or the Dudley Chesham Sports Ground, The Oaks.

Formation and management

Formed in 1996 in Ingleburn, NSW by Philip Ainsworth, Macarthur Astronomical Society Inc. is registered as an independent Incorporated Association by the NSW Office of Fair Trading. Its affairs are governed by its own constitution and managed by an elected seven member Management Committee. The Financial year commences on 1 March. As required by the Office of Fair Trading, the Secretary of the Society acts as Public Officer. The Society is approved by the NSW Commissioner of Police for the purpose of an exemption from obtaining a laser pointer permit.

Macarthur Astronomy Forum

The monthly meetings of the Society provide a platform for professional astronomers and prominent amateur astronomers, on each third Monday (Jan.to Nov.). These meetings were renamed the Macarthur Astronomy Forum in 2011. Guest speakers have included Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt, Professor Bryan Gaensler, Professor Fred Watson, Dr Mark Phillips and NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff.

Patrons

Patrons are appointed by the Management Committee. Between 2009 and 2011 the Society had dual Patrons. The current Patron, Bryan Gaensler moved from Sydney, Australia to Toronto, Canada at the end of 2014 but the Management Committee requested him to remain as MAS Patron indefinitely.

Presidents

Management Committee

The Committee is tasked with the total management of the affairs of the Society and aims to mix youth with experience. It meets monthly and consists of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and three other Committee Members. Office bearers are elected by the membership at an Annual General Meeting, normally held in April each year. Whilst a ballot is provided for, the Society has traditionally never received more than one nomination per position, thus a ballot has never been held.

Awards

On 9 December 2014, MAS won the University of Western Sydney (renamed Western Sydney University in 2015) "Excellence in Partnership Award". The University awards this to recognize the many and highly valued contributions of the University's community partners. The accompanying citation reads: "The Macarthur Astronomical Society has, in partnership with the Campbelltown Rotary Observatory, conducted astronomy talks and activities to bring the latest advances in physics, astrophysics and high technology to the community. This enables the community to participate in debates about science in an informed manner with experts and politicians."

Journal

The Society's journal "Prime Focus" was published monthly, for the benefit of members, between 1996 and 2012. Initially the publication was a printed edition but since 2009 it was distributed electronically. In 2011, the first colour editions were published and printed copies became available again. The journal ceased following the final edition in October 2012.

Publications

The Society has published two DVDs, "magnitude" and "magnitude II", both containing the best astro-images taken by its members.

Authors

The Society has the following authors of astronomy books within its ranks.

Exhibitions

The Society has held major public exhibitions displaying the astro-photographic work of its members:

Observatory

In 2011, the Society set up a sub-committee to seek a suitable site - remote from city lighting, yet within easy reach of Campbelltown/Camden - at which to locate its first astronomical observatory. In 2012, a suitable site was identified in the Dharawal National Park and the Society is pursuing opportunities to secure use of the site. The location was until recently the site of the North Cliff coal mine, operated by BHP Billiton. Whilst anticipating some opposition to placing an observatory in a national park, the Society was inspired by the Australian Astronomical Observatory in the Warrumbungles National Park and the concept has received much local support.

If successful, the observatory will be used for astronomical research, public outreach, astro-imaging and members private observing.

Distributed computing

The Society organises a Citizen Science team for the purpose of carrying out scientific research using the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) Project Management middleware platform, which allows users to contribute to a range of scientific computing projects at the same time. Distributed computing is often also referred to as Citizen Science, Volunteer Computing or Grid Computing. The team is currently working as volunteers on projects for theSkyNet, SETI@home, Einstein@home, asteroids@home, LHC@home and other BOINC projects.