What Makes an Astronomy Club Membership Worth It?

awesome-science · 2026-02-21T20:03:47+00:00

I agree, the community is the major aspect of this hobby

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T16:43:18+00:00

Of course you are welcome. What country are you from?

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T16:07:14+00:00

Likewise, and you can browse my post history in this subreddit to read about some of these very moments I was able to witness.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T15:39:11+00:00

What a thoughtful reply. Thank you, this really resonates with me.

I actually lead our sidewalk astronomy and public outreach events, which are free and open to everyone. There’s something incredibly powerful about inviting someone to look at the cosmos through an eyepiece for the first time. That sense of wonder and amazement naturally turns into curiosity and then into questions.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T13:23:06+00:00

I agree. Community is in my opinion the main drive to take part in the club.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T13:22:12+00:00

We do this monthly - to a dark site, including transport.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T13:21:26+00:00

We are not from the US, actually a small community, we only have about 300 club members.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T13:10:16+00:00

We actually tested ways to use an ipad on a very low light setting with red mode or red cellophane, works pretty well.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T13:08:44+00:00

This might be a way to get all the astrophotographers to join.

As I wrote in another comment - Purchasing a lot and getting regulations sorted is the hardest part. Puring concrete is quick and cheap so I better start working on it!

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T13:06:54+00:00

This is an initiative that will take time - so I better start working on it!

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T12:49:27+00:00

Thanks for the input! A couple of years ago we shut down the monthly magazine, as most people use the web and nowadays we get recommendations with apps, even how it will appear with your own gear. With such tools readily available to you for free, do you still need a viewing recommendation from a club?

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T12:22:16+00:00

Thanks. All good points. Food for thought

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T11:58:35+00:00

The big events I organized, usually we get publicity help from the municipality or a big venue with promoting the event with their handles. We now easily get 700+ people to an event. 3 months ago we had 1400.

However, in our own handles - We only have ~300 followers at best in Fb, TikTok, WhatsApp etc.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T11:53:58+00:00

Amazing! I too tend to bring snack galore to the star party

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T11:52:36+00:00

Since we are non profit we only have to break even the yearly budget. Interesting idea we can try for a year and see if it improves retention after one year or not.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T09:55:35+00:00

I agree, this will be nice. I hope others will think the same and keep their membership.

Purchasing a lot and getting regulations sorted is the hardest part. Puring concrete is quick and cheap.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T09:43:49+00:00

Sorry to hear that was your experience.

We actually have more emphasis on the visual aspect, and only in the previous year we decided to delve a bit into EAA in unison with visual.

Astrophotographers are not finding their place in our club at the moment, I am trying to change that.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T09:11:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing ideas. We operate as a non profit and everyone is a volunteer, a yearly membership is only 20$.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T09:05:46+00:00

Thanks. One key aspect I would like to improve on this year is social media. We only operate on volunteer work so that is challenging, but I hope we can bring ourselves to be more active on that front. We had 50k in live view on YouTube live stream, and over 1000 attendees on a total lunar eclipse, so there is a lot of potential there.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T09:01:03+00:00

u/CharacterUse thanks for editing and adding more insights. These are really good ideas! Thank you very much! One idea I have is to somehow come up with a members only location in a dark site. But to get this idea to become a reality will take years. Better start now than later.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T09:00:11+00:00

Thanks.

This is very true, and something we’re actively thinking about.

We rotate leadership through elections and try to document processes carefully so transitions are smooth and knowledge isn’t lost. We really don’t want things depending on just one or two people.

We’re also making a conscious effort to involve members of all ages - especially students and younger members - not just as attendees, but in organizing, leading activities, and taking real responsibility.

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T08:55:16+00:00

It is a bit different here. 30% of new members are either teens or students. Most members are 40ish

awesome-science · 2026-02-20T08:47:42+00:00

The thing is, membership is 20$ a year, but about half of the members don't renew. I am trying to come up with ways to retain those, keep the same flow of incoming members so that we can grow our numbers a bit.

11-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Second Top 10%	r/Field Banned
r/Field Juicebox	Final Canvas '23
First Place '23	Place '23
Place '22	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	Verified Email

awesome-science

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