About the Society

The Stratford upon Avon Astronomical Society is a highly active club with a membership of over 60. We aim to provide a meeting place for amateur astronomers and to promote astronomy in the Warwickshire area and we are a member society of the Federation of Astronomical Societies. We meet twice a month at the splendid village hall in Alderminster, a few miles south of Stratford.

On the first Tuesday of each month, we have a practical workshop, covering topics oriented around observational astronomy. On the third Tuesday of each month we have a talk by a visiting guest speaker, usually a professional astronomer.

How to find us

We meet at the village hall in Alderminster. If you are using a SatNav unit to find us, post code CV37 8PE will get you very close. The village hall is approximately 200 yards from the main A3400 in New Road, on the left if travelling from the A3400. If you are traveling from the M40 along the A429 you may find it easier to turn right onto the A422 towards Stratford and then after 1.2 miles turn left into New Road towards Alderminster. Approaching from this direction the village hall is on the right, approximately 1.6 miles from the A422.

Please do not use the Village Hall address for correspondence as there is no letter box and we only meet there twice a month.

Observing

Some of our observing activities are at Alderminster which does not have street lighting and offers very good observing conditions, except for a narrow sector to the North, spoiled by the pollution of Stratford, Solihull and Birmingham.

The Society also has a splendid range of portable telescopes and other items of equipment which are, as appropriate, used for public outreach events, for our “Club Nights” and for use on loan by members. We have been donated a splendid 10 inch goto Skywatcher telescope, which is particularly good for faint objects and for busy observing sessions; other equipment includes a solar telescope, a Meade 5-inch goto SCT, a 6 inch Dobsonian, and two 4.3-inch reflectors in addition to a range of photographic, digital imaging and spectroscopic equipment. If you are considering buying a telescope, why not join us and try before you buy?

Membership

Visitors are welcome to attend meetings for free. We encourage you to come along to one or two meetings to determine if you wish to join us. Whilst there is no pressure to join, anyone who wishes to continue to attend regularly should become a member.

Membership costs £15 per year except for those in full time education, for whom membership is free. Members can use our telescopes, have a say in the way the organisation is run and borrow from our library.

You can join online by going to https://membermojo.co.uk/stratfordastro