The Canberra Astronomical Society (CAS) is a thriving community of amateur astronomers in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. We cater to the entire ACT region and surrounds.

Membership Benefits

We hold monthly meetings at the Mt. Stromlo Observatory. Each meeting usually commences with a skills session, followed by a presentation from a prominent member of the professional or amateur astronomical community. Past speakers have included Nobel Laureate Dr. Brian Schmidt, Dr. Charley Lineweaver, Prof. Ken Freeman, and Celine d’Orgeville, among many others.

CAS publishes a monthly newsletter, the Southern Cross (login required), which incorporates local and international astronomy news, articles about the latest developments in astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology, and information about observing opportunities for the month ahead.

We run regular ‘dark sky’ nights for members at nearby properties that have very little light pollution and excellent viewing conditions. We also run public viewing nights at Mt. Stromlo as part of our commitment to education and outreach in conjunction with the ANU’s Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics (RSAA), as well as running viewing nights for schools in the local area.

How to Join

Join at a Meeting

If you’d like to become a part of our vibrant astronomy community, please feel free to come along to one of our monthly meetings at Mt. Stromlo—dates and times of forthcoming meetings are available in our calendar. Non-members may attend up to two meetings before being required to join. When you come along, say hi and let us know know you’re a prospective member. One of our committee members will be able to provide more information about what we do and how to join.

Membership Forms

If you’ve already been to one of our meetings or you’re just sure you want to join up, please download and complete the CAS Membership form. If you’re a former CAS member and want to re-join after an absence you should also complete the CAS Membership form.

You can send a copy of the form to the CAS Membership Officer (email address on the form) and transfer the funds to the bank account whose details are shown on the form, using your name as the reference information. (Preferred method.)

Alternatively, you can bring the completed form along to one of our meetings and pay with cash, or post it to the address on the form with a cheque.

We hope to see you soon!