Our club was founded in 1989 by a small group of local amateur astronomers interested in fostering the education of astronomy in the Grand Valley of Mesa County.  The club holds its monthly meetings at Wubben Hall in the Weldon Room at Mesa State College .  We hold monthly events at a local, State and National Parks and have traveled to local schools giving lectures and telescope time to the youth of our local school district. We also hold an annual star party and membership does not require a telescope or other optical equipment. All that is needed is an interest in the night sky and all of it's glory. Family membership includes our newsletter, "The Spectrum" and the national Astronomical League newsletter, "The Reflector." Membership also includes expert advice on telescope use and purchases,  classes on astronomy and cosmology, the use, on an occasional basis, of club owned telescopes and during special events the use of privately owned telescopes and expert instruction on astrophotography.  We are members of the International Dark Sky Association and we fund and encourage a workgroup of concerned citizens for the preservation of the night sky.
 

  All observing sites are within 1-2 hour's driving time from Grand Junction. Please enjoy the sites and turn off your headlights when approaching. It takes 30 to 50 minutes to achieve full night vision so a small white light can destroy a person's ability to see small details and dim objects even through a telescope for quite some time.

  It is our hope that you find this web site easy to navigate , informative and fun. Please click on our application link and do not hesitate to join us! It's easy. We have fun. You'll learn something new every month and we have "special" relationships with our best vendors that will get you big discounts on any astronomy equipment. Your dues will be quickly "compensated" for here alone! If you are ready to sign up right now and get started, click on the “Membership Application” button above.

 

http://www.mesastate.edu/