Introduction

The Society took the name of Letchworth & District Astronomical Society in 1991, by the renaming of the previously well known Stevenage & District... (SADAS) to reflect the society's new base in Letchworth. SADAS, founded in 1985 was the result of a merger of two local societies, The North Herts Astronomical Association and The Welwyn & Hatfield Astronomical Association. Its initial event was during National Astronomical Week that year, to celebrate the return of Halley's comet. Since that time, we have grown larger and became more established, with the participation of the society in many events, including the 1989 Astronomy Now Quiz, in which we came second from over 30 participating UK societies.

In 2005 we celebrated our 20^th anniversary with a special Public Star Party in May, and a special member's star party & bar-b-que - which we called a Star-B-Que. This has become an annual event. Follow the links for some photos of these events.

Membership

We operate membership on a subscription basis running from the date of joining until the membership year (at the end of February) and from then on, for 12 months. The membership rate is £18 per year, and members can renew during January and February for £15. The subscription is for a family, not just an individual, and covers everyone at a given address. The page on entitlements and fees gives details of rates for joining at different times of the year.

The charge for membership covers only society expenses, and entitles the member (and the member's household) to a number of benefits...

Benefits

*	Monthly society newsletter / magazine
*	FAS and SPA newsletters (quarterly)
*	Early warning register for new discoveries (optional, at no extra cost)
*	Observing sessions, to view planets, stars & galaxies using member's, and the society's telescopes
*	Use, after completion of training, of the society's observatory, which houses a permanently mounted, driven, 10" Newtonian telescope, which is housed at Standalone Farm, Letchworth.
*	Hire of the society's 8" & 6" Dobsonian reflecting telescopes
*	Monthly meetings - listen to guest speakers - Meet & chat with other people interested in Astronomy.

Additionally, the society is affiliated to:	The British Astronomical Association (BAA)
	The Federation of Astronomical Societies (FAS)
	The Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA)

Currently we have around 65 members, and are still growing. Of these approximately 70% have their own telescope, about 15% have binoculars, and 15% use their naked eyes for their astronomical observations.

Meetings

These are usually held at Plinston Hall in Letchworth, normally on the last Wednesday of each month, starting at 7:30. To cover the cost of hiring the room at the centre & speakers, we charge an entry fee of £2 each for members (or member of their household), and £3 for non members. Accompanied children are charged less.

Plinston Hall (click here for a map) is located in the centre of Letchworth and is well sign-posted. A frequent train and bus service operates to the nearby railway station. (The station is about 300 metres away along the Broadway, which starts opposite the railway station). To reach the meeting room, go to the main entrance at Plinston Hall and ask for "The Astronomy Society".

The meetings include talks by guest speakers, who have included: Chris Baddiley, Guy Hurst, Paul Money, Ian Ridpath, John Rodgers, John Spencer and David Whitehouse, in additional to our own Honorary President, Bob Forrest. Also at our AGM in December, we usually run a quiz.

Soft drinks, tea and coffee, are usually supplied free of charge at the meetings, and the Hall has a bar, which members may take the opportunity to retire to after our meetings, if it is open.

Other society events

Within this website, you will find a list of the society events planned for the current year.

You will notice that in addition to having our meetings, and star parties, we participate in other local society/community events, and even put on public events ourselves. The reasons for this are not just to publicise our society, and so gain members (this certainly helps), but to assist the local community. This is part of the society's deliberate policy, and is embedded in its constitution. Typical of this is that we have often given lectures and talks, to various schools, and groups. Amongst these have been: The Cubs, Plinston Kids, The Young Farmers and the Woman's Group. Please note, we do not expect or ask members to assist with this program, however, we are grateful of any assistance given, and are always most happy to receive requests for talks from any source.
So if you know of anyone who may be interested in any talks astronomy or space exploration, please feel free to pass on our details. Our talks range from introductory to quite in-depth subjects.

In addition, our Society Chairman, Jerry Stone, is a freelance presenter on Astronomy and Space Exploration, and gives presentations all over the UK. For a professional session with inflatable planets, telescopes to view the sun and Moon, and "pop" & air rockets, contact him at chairman-at-ldas.org.uk (Replace "-at-" with "@" in the e-mail address).

The Observatory.

The society has an observatory to the north of Letchworth. Built entirely by our members, it is located at the Standalone Farm Centre (click here for a map), which is run by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. This site is easily accessible by road / public transport, and has ample car parking. Additionally, the site is reasonably dark.

Additionally, this facility, when combined with the society's ability to give talks, gives us the ability to assist with the public promotion and education of astronomy, including assisting schools with the national curriculum. The observatory currently houses an electrically driven polar aligned 10" Newtonian telescope (with manual override). It is possible to attach cameras to the telescope, and it has a selection of filters and eyepieces. This facility, which already is very good, is slowly being updated as funds permit.

We run an observing programme through the year, and members are free to attend and use the equipment. Before attending a session, a check should be made on the Society's mobile phone - 07751 315447 - that the weather is suitable to allow the event to go ahead.

In conclusion

One thing is sure, Letchworth & District Astronomical Society will always be, as we are currently, happy to be a small friendly informal local society, where members can meet, exchange ideas, and chat. So you can be sure of a warm welcome at our society.

So to conclude, we would be most happy to receive your application for membership, by printing and returning the application form. The application form is an Adobe Acrobat file and your browser will need to have the Acrobat plug-in or your computer will need the Acrobat viewer installed. If you want to save a copy of the form to your computer, right click on the application form link and use "Save target to...".
If you do not have the Acrobat reader, use the button below to get a free copy.

Click on this link to see a summary of the entitlements and fees.

If you are not sure whether you want to join, please accept our open invitation to come along to one of our meetings and see for yourself. We are sure you will find it most enjoyable.

Updated August 2007