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The Astronomical League's
Lunar Club Certificate
Rules
and Regulations
Lunar
List
Lunar
Sketches
Introduction
 Welcome to the Astronomical League's Lunar Club. The
Lunar Club introduces amateur astronomers to that object in the sky that
most of us take for granted, and which deep sky observers have come to
loathe. But even though deep sky observers search for dark skies (when the
moon is down), this program gives them something to do when the moon is
up. In other words, it gives us something to observe the rest of the
month, and we all know that the sky is always clear when the moon is up.
The Lunar Club also allows amateurs in heavily light
polluted areas to participate in an observing program of their own. This
program is well suited for the young, inexperienced observer as well as
the older observer just getting into our hobby since no special observing
skills are required. It is well balanced because it develops naked eye,
binocular, and telescopic observing skills. Finally, the Lunar Club was
created as a project that can easily be done by schools and school
children, especially those in the inner city.
Rules and Regulations
To qualify for the AL's Lunar Club Certificate and pin,
you need only be a member of the Astronomical League, either through an
affiliated club or as a Member-at-Large, and observe 100 features on the
moon. These 100 features are broken down into three groups: 18 naked eye,
46 binocular, and 36 telescopic features. Any pair of binoculars and any
telescope may be used for this program. As a matter of fact, to prove that
the Lunar Club could be done with small apertures, we used 7x35 binoculars
and a 60mm refractor. So, as you can see, this program does not require
expensive equipment. Also, if you have problems with observing the
features at one level, you may go up to the next higher level. In other
words, if you have trouble with any of the naked eye objects, you may jump
up to binoculars. If you have trouble with any of the binocular objects,
then you may move up to a telescope. But if you have trouble with any of
the telescopic objects, you are on your own. You will have to arrange your
own time on the Hubble Space Telescope. Before moving up to the next
higher level, please try to get as many objects as you can with the
instrument required at that level. Finally, when using binoculars, we
recommend that you tripod mount them for stability.
We have made it as simple as possible to log your
observations. Just list the instruments that you used at the top of pages
2 and 3 of this flyer, check off the features as you observe them in the
"CHK" column, and then list the date and time you observed the feature in
the columns on the right-hand side of pages 2 and 3. That is all there is
to it.
For those of you that still may have some trouble
observing the 100 original features of the program, we have included 10
optional activities on page 4. Each one activity counts as two of the
observations on pages 2 and 3, and may be substituted for those
observations.
If you would like a good recommendation for a lunar map
to use with this program, we suggest, for those of you on a budget, "Moon
Map" (S0003) by Sky Publishing Corp.
for $2.95. Sky Publishing Corp. can be reached at (800) 253-0245. For a
more advanced moon atlas, we recommend Antonin Rukl's "Atlas of the Moon"
(#18539) by Kalmbach Publishing
Co. for $29.95. Kalmbach Publishing Co. can be reached at (800)
533-6644.
To receive your Lunar Club Certificate and pin, simply
send your observations along with your name, address, phone number, and
club affiliation, either to your club's Awards Coordinator for
verification, or to:
Steve A. Nathan
A. L. Lunar Club Co-ordinator
45 Brewster
Road
West Springfield, Ma. 01089
(413) 967-9435
E-mail: snathan@k12.oit.umass.edu
Upon
verification of your observations, your certificate and pin will be
forwarded either to you or your club's Awards Co-ordinator, whomever you
choose. You will also be added to the Astronomical League's list of Lunar
Club Awardees.
You must be a member of the Astronomical League to
receive this certificate.
If you need to become a member of the Astronomical League as a
Member-at-Large, contact Jackie
Beucher, AL Executive Secretary, 11305 King Street, Overland Park, KS
66210-3421. (913) 469-0135. E-Mail: M31@sky.net.
You may also join The
American Association of Amateur Astronomers, The Internet Astronomy Club,
which is a member society of the Astronomical League. Join on-line at our
web page: www.AsroMax.com.
Or send a check for $20 ($25 family) for each membership to: AAAA,
P.O. Box 7981, Dallas, TX 75209-0981. E-Mail: aaaa@AstroMax.com.
AAAA Members: If you
have completed an AL observing project, submit your observations directly
to the AAAA for certification. Be sure to send COPIES only. Do NOT send
original photographs or observing logs.
For information on which lunar features to observe, read the Lunar Club
Observing list.
[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Binocular Messier ] [ Binocular Deep Sky ] [ Double Star Club ] [ Urban Club ] [ Lunar Club ] [ Universe Sampler ] [ Planetary Observers Club ] [ Asteroid Club ] [ Southern Skies Binocular Club ] [ New AL Observing Programs ] [ Arp Peculiar Galaxies ] [ AL Observing Program Contact Info ] [ Observing Forms and Sketch Log ]
You MUST be a member of the Astronomical League, either
through membership in an affiliated astronomical society or as a
Member-at-Large, to receive certification for the Lunar Club.
As a member of the AAAA, not only are you eligible to earn
this observing award, but you will also get your own subscription to the
Astronomical League's newsletter, the REFLECTOR, as well as our own quarterly
newsletter, The American Astronomer.
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