Welcome to the Chennai Astronomy Club

Hey everyone!

With so many new members joining us, we wanted to take a moment to introduce our club, what we do, and just as importantly, what we don’t do. Many astronomy clubs around the world operate in similar ways, so if you’ve been part of one before, some of this may feel familiar.

:telescope: Who We Are

:sparkles: A community of passionate stargazers – This club is run by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts. We’re here purely for the love of the night sky, not for profit, and that will never change. Like most astronomy clubs worldwide, our main goal is to share knowledge, resources, and experiences with one another.

:milky_way: We organize star parties – These are gatherings where members meet under dark skies to observe celestial objects and discuss astronomy. In line with many astronomy clubs worldwide, we maintain an environment that prioritizes observation, learning, and astrophotography.

:graduation_cap: We love outreach! – We conduct educational programs for schools, colleges, and organizations, completely free of charge. If you want us to organise one for your organization, do contact us.

:waning_crescent_moon: We set up public observation events – Major celestial events like eclipses deserve to be shared! When something big is happening in the sky, we’ll be there to help the public experience it

:speech_balloon: We host online and in-person talks – Every now and then, we organize virtual sessions on interesting astronomy topics. If you’d like to present something, just ping one of the moderators, and we’ll set it up for you!

:telescope: We guide beginners – New to astronomy? No problem! We help newcomers with advice on how to get started, what telescopes to buy, and how to navigate the night sky. Just like other clubs, we welcome all levels - from absolute beginners to seasoned observers.

:camera_with_flash: We support astrophotography – If you love capturing stunning images of the cosmos, you’ll fit right in! Many of our members are into astrophotography, and we share tips, tricks, and techniques to help each other improve.


:prohibited: What We Are Not

:automobile: Not a travel agency – We don’t arrange astronomy tours or paid expeditions.

:fire: Not a party or entertainment club – While we use the term “star party” (as many astronomy clubs do), there are no campfires, DJs, loud music, or general social events. The focus is always on observation. We love the stars, but we keep things quiet and respectful to allow for serious skywatching.

:money_bag: Not a business – We don’t sell tickets, charge for events, or run a telescope rental service. Like most astronomy clubs globally, we rely on volunteer efforts to keep things running.

:performing_arts: Not a social club with unrelated activities – Some clubs mix astronomy with hiking, camping, or adventure tourism, but we don’t. Our focus is purely on astronomy.

:books: Not a formal educational institution – While we’re passionate about teaching, we don’t offer certifications or structured courses like a university or school. However, we’re always happy to help answer questions and point you toward great learning resources.

:hammer_and_wrench: Not a repair or rental service – Need a telescope fixed? While some members might be able to offer advice, we don’t provide equipment repairs or rentals. However, we can definitely guide you on purchasing and maintaining your own gear.

:globe_showing_europe_africa: Not an astrology group – We are all about science-based astronomy. If you’re looking for discussions on zodiac signs, horoscopes, or astrology, this isn’t the right place. That said, we’re always happy to explain the differences between astronomy and astrology!

If you’re passionate about astronomy and keen to learn alongside others who share your interest, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome, and enjoy the night sky!

2 Likes

Hi nice club btw
I am interested in astronomy very much and I am in school

2 Likes

Hi Iam Biju Chandran new to the geouo. Ia there any event on Jan 25th to witness the planetary alignments

Hello Biju, welcome.

I know there has been messages and video forwards that have been claiming about some once in a lifetime planetary alignment. This sensational junk forwards happens every now and then. Not just with planets, they’ll also be doing that with supermoons and some meteor showers.

Just to clarify,

  1. Planets always line up in an arc, as they share the same orbital plane as earth. Every couple of years, you’ll be able to see about 4 planets naked eye from most places on earth and in some years, you’ll be able to see 5 (including mercury) from a lot of places on earth (not most as it is too close to the sun and hard to spot from some extreme latitudes)

  2. Unless you are in some really low pollution areas, it’s not possible to spot Uranus. However with some small power optical aids (a small telescope or small binoculars) you can spot both Uranus and Neptune.

  3. These planets have been visible from around late November last year and will continue to be visible even in February. Therefore, there’s nothing you’d miss if you didn’t manage to see them on 25/January.

  4. When it comes to meteor showers, do not go by how many are reported in an hour. Look when the radiant point is at the highest in your sky. Look if it is at night and if so, where the moon is.

  5. Supermoons, I can guarantee, you wouldn’t see any difference between it and a normal full moon when viewed naked eye. Unless you observe full moons regularly using a smaller field scope and remember exactly how much of the field was covered by the normal full moon, you’ll not be able to appreciate the supermoons. Even for those folks who do observe regularly, it will be difficult. There are many here who are keen astrophotographers. Only for them, when they take pictures with the same settings and compare, it will be easily visible.

So, I’d suggest, look out for such events from websites of astronomical organisations than from social media forwards.

I take no pleasure in snubbing off your interest. So, please don’t take this in a wrong way. There are amazing things to lookout for including seeing the planets that you mentioned about. Therefore, I’d request you to completely get rid of the images that you’ve seen in any videos or magazines or even here from some of our amazing astrophotographers from your memory and think that you are going to see bright Stars in a line from west to east and then go out and look.

You’ll surely see many of the planets, like you see stars and may even confuse yourself with some stars instead of planets. Take it all in, try and remember where you saw what, then get inside and look up some planaterium software like stellarium and compare what’s shown there in default zoom to what you had actually seen. That I hope will be more satisfying and wouldn’t disappoint.

If you need further help, please ask, it’s a very friendly bunch here and someone would always help.

2 Likes

Hi @Gnana , I think you should post it on the WhatsApp group.