The Villages Astronomy Club

Events

The Villages Astronomy Club holds several daytime and nighttime astronomy events each year, in addition to special events for astronomical occurances such as eclipses and conjunctions. We also hold educational events for local children's groups.

• Astronomy Day
  Our daytime Astronomy Day activities, normally held twice each year, includes our Solar Walk--a walking tour of the solar system, its planets, the asteroid belt, and a perspective on where we lay relative to nearby stars.

  We also show the sun through solar telescopes, which allow for safe viewing of the Sun, sunspots, prominances, and flares.

  In some cases, a solar eclipse viewing event will take the place of our Astronomy Day.

• Starry Starry Night
  The Villages Astronomy Club shows the wonders of the night sky through members' telescopes and giving tours of the constellations on these nighttime events, typically held twice each year. See planets, bright stars, double stars, star clusters, and if the sky is especially clear we will have views of other galaxies.

Meetings

The Villages Astronomy Club holds four regularly scheduled meetings each month, a Telescope Workshop, a Space Academy educational session, our general meeting, and our Executive Directors' Meeting.

• First Monday: Observers' Workshop.Time varies: starts 45-60 minutes before sunset, continues after dark. Truman Recreation Center Picnic Pavilion, 2705 Canal Street.
  Learn how to choose and use a telescope or binoculars. Our astronomers answer your questions and provide tips and tricks on observing with any instrument. We provide views of the sky to interested onlookers as well. Bring your telescope or binoculars and join us!

• First Monday: Space Academy. 6:30pm, Truman Recreation Center, 2705 Canal Street.
  Videos and discussion on basic astronomy and current events in astronomical research. Learn about the basics of astronomy. Hear the latest news from astrophysics ans space research.

• Third Tuesday: General Meeting. 6:30pm, Laurel Manor Recreation Center, 1985 Laurel Manor Drive.
  Join us for club news, information on upcoming events, reports from past events, membership benefits, and a featured presentation on astronomy or space exploration.

• First Friday: Executive Directors' Meeting. 11:00am, Fishhawk Recreation Center, 2318 Buttonwood Run.
  All members are welcome to join us as we plan future events, speakers, meetings, and work out the logistics of club activities.

Membership

Membership in The Villages Astronomy Club is open to residents of The Villages, FL. Dues are $10/year, collected at our general meetings from September to April.

Non-member residents of The Villages, and guests with Villages ID may attend our meetings to see if our group is a good fit for them, or to obtain assistance and advice on astronomy and astronomy related subjects (for example, at our observers' workshops).

Observing nights with the Fruitland Park Astronomy Group are open to the public. Other of our events held in communities outside The Villages are also open to the public.

Anyone may join our Facebook Group and email list. Our Facebook group is mostly limited to people living in the general area of The Villages. If you are from outside the area, please note why you have an interest in the group when applying to join.

Join us on our Facebook group

Our monthly newsletter is distributed via our email list, as well as event announcements and special news items. Generally 4-8 messages per month. The email list is open to anyone who is interested:

VLGAstro Email List via Google Groups

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I have to own a telescope to join?
  No! Only about 1/3 of our members own a telescope, and only about 1 in 5 brings their telescope to club events.

• Do I have to know a lot about astronomy?
  No! No prior knowledge of astronomy, space, or astrophysics is required! All we ask is that you bring an interest in these subjects. The purpose of our club is to nurture and feed that interest, letting you learn what you're interested in as you please. We have members with extensive knowledge who love to share that knowledge (in easily digested bits!)

• What's the best telescope for me/my grandchild?
  There is no one best scope. For beginners, we recommend starting with binoculars and a good book on visual or binocular astronomy. We have recommendations of equipment of different types and for different intersts and skill levels in our newsletter each year. Look for our Resource Guide for recommendations from our members, and our Buyers' Guide for specific buying recommendations for beginners. Plan to attend our Observers' Workshop to see different options in action and learn what each is capable of.