Sutherland Astronomical Society
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| Abbreviation | SASI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1961 |
| Legal status | Incorporated association |
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Region served
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Sutherland Shire in the southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia |
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Main organ
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Southern Observer Journal |
| Website | http://www.sasi.net.au |
Sutherland Astronomical Society Incorporated (SASI) (previously known as the James Cook Astronomers Club) is an amateur astronomical society based in the Sutherland Shire, in the southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It operates the Green Point Observatory, it is one of the two founding organizations of the National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers, and its members have discovered two comets and two novae.
The society meets every Thursday night at the Green Point Observatory. These meetings can take different formats: some meetings have invited speakers who are professional astronomers or specialists in related fields, keeping members updated with the latest developments in research and technology. Other meetings are less formal, with members holding discussions among themselves, exchanging techniques, tips and experiences, capturing and processing images, or just observing through the society's telescopes which are kept on site.
In 2016, the society will once again host the prestigious National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers (NACAA). This will be the sixth time the society has hosted or co-hosted NACAA.
The society produces a regular official publication for members, named the Southern Observer Journal. (OCLC Number: 222056167).
They support the Public Education Foundation's Stellar Astronomy Scholarship for Girls by providing the winner with society membership and mentoring.
The society is very active at promoting observational astronomy to the public, as well as for its own members at their Green Point Observatory. They conduct a number of public outreach events, including:
To assist with these activities, the society is authorized by the police to use high-powered lasers for astronomical purposes.
The Society was formed in June 1961, and was then known as the James Cook Astronomers Club (JCAC), named after Captain James Cook, English explorer who first landed in Australia at Kurnell (a suburb in the Sutherland Shire) after successfully observing a transit of Venus from Tahiti.
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