{"id":4993,"date":"2020-05-14T22:28:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T03:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/?page_id=4993"},"modified":"2026-07-15T01:55:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T06:55:49","slug":"main","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the Austin Astronomical Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Austin Astronomical Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists for the benefit of people interested in astronomy and space science. We provide opportunities for continuing education of society members and the general public. We conduct astronomy-oriented social events, educational events, and programs.<\/p>\r\n

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Join us at our <\/b><\/h4>\r\n

August General Assembly Meeting<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

For returning speaker\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\r\n

Don Olson<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

Professor Emeritus, Texas State University<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

\u201cSkies of Ancient Egypt\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

Based on a trip to Egypt in April and May 2026, this talk will survey the astronomy of ancient Egypt. Topics will illustrate visits to the Dendera temple (star ceiling planisphere and rectangular zodiac), the temple at Esna (ceiling with constellations and the cycle of lunar phases), Luxor and the Valley of the Kings (star ceiling in the tomb of Sety I), and Abu Simbel (the history of the temple and the solar illumination at sunrise). Also noted is an astronomical feature of the new GEM (Grand Egyptian Museum) in Cairo.

Don Olson taught physics and astronomy for many years at Texas State University and published more than 50 articles and 4 books using astronomy to solve mysteries in art, history, and literature. Olson\u2019s latest book is Celestial Sleuthing (Springer, 2026).<\/h4>\r\n

Friday, August 14, 2026<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

7:00 p.m. – Practical Astronomy <\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

7:30 p.m. – Business Meeting <\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

8:00 p.m. – Featured Speaker<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Please Note:<\/em><\/h2>\r\n

*Different Location*<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

Instead of our usual UT Campus ETC building location, we’ll be at:<\/strong><\/b><\/h2>\r\n

ECJ 1.204<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

Ernest Cockrell Jr. Hall (ECJ)<\/strong>
301 E. Dean Keeton St.
Austin, TX 78712<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

(Just across the Pedestrian Bridge from ETC on the south side of Dean Keeton.)\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\r\n

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*Also note: At the presenter’s request, there will be no Zoom or YouTube broadcast of this meeting.<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\r\n

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Austin Astronomical Society has an online store.<\/h3>\r\n

Our store features AAS logo merchandize, astrophotography created by our AAS members, and other astronomy themed items. All proceeds from items sold in this store are used to fund astronomy and STEM scholarships<\/span><\/h3>\r\n

AAS Store<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h4>\r\n

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Members Only Star Parties<\/h3>\r\n

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Members Only star parties are held at our dark sky site. Watch for emails with information or contact memberservices@austinastro.org<\/p>\r\n

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Dark Sky Site<\/h3>\r\n

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Our dark sky site is available for use upon request. AAS members may visit the site and use the AAS dome and telescope, or bring their own equipment. For more information, please contact memberservices@austinastro.org.<\/p>\r\n

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Sidereal Times Newsletter<\/h3>\r\n

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Our award winning newsletter is available to everyone free of charge on the Sidereal Times page<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

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General Assembly Meetings<\/h3>\r\n

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AAS General Assembly meetings are held on the second Friday of every month at 7:30 pm. We invite a wide range of speakers including researchers, authors, our own practical astronomers, astronauts, and the occasional Nobel prize winner. Everyone is welcome to attend these special events. AAS members are sent email invitations to connect via Zoom. The meeting is also available on our YouTube channel.<\/p>\r\n

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Executive Committee Meetings<\/h3>\r\n

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The AAS Executive Committee meets on the first Monday of every month. These meetings are held via Zoom and will be open to AAS members as well. Any member who wants to attend should email a request to aas-ec@austinastro.org.<\/p>\r\n

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 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Austin Astronomical Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that exists for the benefit of people interested in astronomy and space science. We provide opportunities for continuing education of society members and the general public. We conduct astronomy-oriented social events, educational events, and programs.   Join us at our August General Assembly Meeting For returning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/page-widgets-right-column.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4993","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":142,"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7798,"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions\/7798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinastro.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}