Whakatane Astronomical Society
Astronomical society in Whakatāne, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Whakatane Astronomical Society is a voluntary, non-profit society for people interested in amateur astronomy in the Whakatāne District of New Zealand. The society was founded in September 1960, and maintains a small observatory in Whakatane, which has been operating continuously since 1964.[1] The society is affiliated with the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand.[2]
- Hurinui Avenue, Hillcrest, Whakatāne, New Zealand
| Formation | January 1, 1963 |
|---|---|
| Type | NGO |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 37.956642°S 176.999544°E |
Region served | Eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand |
President | Norman Izett |
| Affiliations | Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand |
| Website |
The Society's main fund-raising activity is the running of observing nights on Tuesday and Friday evenings, where members of the public pay a small fee to view the sky using one or more of the society's telescopes at the observatory, under the guidance of a society member. Similar evenings can also be run for larger/school groups, with prior arrangement.
Equipment
The Society's observatory houses three main telescopes:
- A 350mm Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain
- A 250mm Meade Instruments Schmidt-Cassegrain with GoTo Control
- A custom built 150mm refractor, equipped with a solar filter