SOCIETY IN FOCUS
‘Keeping It Simple, Straightforward, and Accessible’ (#KISSAstro) is one of the main tenets of Highlands Astronomical Society (HAS), the Inverness-based astronomy club with its own public access observatory next to the Culloden battlefield.
With a 14-inch Meade Schmidt Cassegrain telescope under the dome, the Jim Savage-Lowden Observatory is our pride and joy: we host public and members’ observing sessions there on most weekends from September until
March. A state-of-the-art astro-camera links the scope to a warm room where people can view deep-sky objects in colour. The facility has opened up practical astronomy to young children and the disabled.
HAS was formed in 1994 and has over 60 members, including a vibrant ‘Youngstars’ section for 8–14 year olds. The club meets from 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of each month in the Smithton Free Church Café for an astronomy-related talk, tea and the eagerly-awaited monthly club news, with details of our target constellation for the month and our own astrophotos. There’s then a practical astronomy session or a discussion indoors to end the evening.
HAS is very active in public outreach.
Our members give talks and observatory tours to schools and local youth groups, deliver lectures at science festivals and host pop-up observatory sessions (including solar) all over the local Highlands area, including the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, every summer.
We also coach new astronomers and give practical advice on equipment, astrophotography and what to observe.
Eric Walker, chairman, HAS
▶ www.spacegazer.com, @highlands.astro