About the NAA

The Naperville Astronomical Association (NAA) had its beginnings as the Naperville High School Astronomy Club in the early 1970's. When the building of an observatory and telescope became the students' goal, it became necessary for them to form an organization outside the restrictions of a school sponsored group; in March of 1973 the Naperville Astronomical Association was founded.

The NAA remained primarily a high school aged group until April, 1975, when membership was opened to the general public. The club has since grown a strong foundation in the area, with a membership area stretching far outside of Naperville. The club has always attracted members with a wide variety of experience, including seasoned amateurs, but strives to create an interesting and educational environment for the beginning astronomer of any age.

Meetings

The NAA holds regular monthly meetings, which feature a presentation on some aspect of astronomy. The wide-ranging topics include current astronomical research, observing techniques and projects, history, telescope making, and more. Speakers include professional astronomers, educators, and members of the NAA and other amateurs. Club activities are discussed, and there is often time for informal discussion afterwards. These meetings are open to the public and free of charge; attending them is a great way to get introduced to the club, meet some members, and join if you like.

The regular monthly meetings are held on the first Tuesday evening of the month, in the downstairs conference room of the Naperville Municipal Center. For upcoming meeting information, see our calendar; for direction to the Naperville Municipal Center, see the Maps & Directions page.

The NAA also hosts a second monthly presentation, called the Astronomy Fundamentals Program. Each month, a member with expertise in a certain area of amateur astronomy gives a talk aimed to deliver basic, fundamental information to members and guests who may just be beginning to study that particular subject. Topics covered include many aspects of observational astronomy, telescope use, and the science of astronomy.

The Astronomy Fundamentals Programs are held on the third Tuesday evening of the month, also in meeting rooms at the Naperville Municipal Center; they, too, are open to the public.

Public Events

We like to share our interest in astronomy with our neighbors, so we regularly hold events which the public is invited to. They are always free of charge. If you or someone you know (spouse, child, neighbor, co-worker, etc.) has a little smidgen of interest in what's up there in the sky, coming to our events is a way to explore that interest without having to go out and buy your own equipment! (Of course, folks with a really big interest in astronomy are welcome, too!)

We also like to let everyone look at the wonders of the Universe through our telescopes. All year 'round, we schedule observing events which are open to the public and free of charge. On the calendar look for the green events to see what we have coming up. The calendar entry will indicate where the event is being held, and will include a link to a map when necessary.

For observing events scheduled at our Astronomy Education Center, we will post a "Go" or "Cancel" notification several hours in advance on the home and calendar pages of this website, as well as on our Facebook page, allowing us to spread the word about last-minute weather related event cancellations. Be sure to check there before coming out if the skies look at all questionable.

Private Events

The NAA also regularly schedules private observing sessions for youth groups and other community groups; if you see those listed on our calendar, sorry, but additional guests are not welcome. But, you can arrange a session for your own group just by contacting us; see the Contact Us page for more information!

The Observatories

The NAA own and operates two observatories, located on a large tract of City of Naperville land on the south end of town. The first is dedicated to the late Glen D. Riley, a physics teacher at Naperville Central High School who sponsored the high school group. Originally constructed in 1973, the facility was re-designed with many new features when city plans necessitated moving it to another part of the site in 1990-1991. Later, the club constructed the DuPage Valley Observatory. More information on the observatory facilities is located on the Astronomy Education Center page.

Community, school, and youth groups can request special evenings for private viewing sessions at the facility; see the Contact Us page for scheduling information.

Star Gazing

The NAA schedules observing get-togethers for members throughout the year. Some are at our observatories; others are at private sites located farther from the brightly lit skies of Chicagoland. Members bring telescopes and share their viewing with one another. Members also help each other choose and learn to use observing equipment.

We often get inquiries about the "dark sites" we use for observing. Sorry, we are not able to tell you more about them unless you become an NAA member; by our arrangements with the property owners, we cannot release the site locations to anyone outside of our club. New members should receive a "Member's Folder", which has maps to the various observing sites, access instructions, and site use rules. Some sites are available for members to use for observing whenever they like, all year 'round.

Publications

The NAA publishes a monthly newsletter called The Focal Plane. It details all current club news and activities and upcoming programs and events. Non-members may request to receive the next issue in the mail; see the Contact Us page for information.

Membership

See the Joining the NAA page for details on membership benefits and becoming a member.