The Sunridge Observatory will mark its 40th year next year. (Photo Courtesy Bob Schneider)

By Gates Guarin

40th anniversary of observatory

Medicine Hat Astronomy Club hopes stars align during membership drive

Sep 22, 2022 | 4:06 PM

CYPRESS COUNTY, AB – If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the stars and the planets in our solar system and beyond, the Medicine Hat Astronomy Club would love to have you on deck as a member.

The club will be hosting a one-day membership drive on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Sunridge Observatory off Highway 3.

The club currently has 15 members and is hoping to bring in another 10. The club welcomes individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds. The club will also take in members of the community of any experience, from the seasoned stargazer to people just starting to look to the cosmos.

Becoming a member allows you the opportunity to use the observatory’s brand new telescope, a 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain. The telescope was going through calibrations over the summer before becoming fully operational.

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The club was founded back in 1979, with the observatory opening just four years later. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the observatory, and members would love to celebrate the milestone with some new hobbyists.

“We’d like to commemorate that event in a special way, and have a large membership, a new telescope, have people that are actively involved in doing fun things with the hobby,” club secretary-treasurer James Paulson says. “We get out probably two times a month as the weather permits. Of course, with this new telescope and size of this dome and facility being heated, we can get out here in the winter now as well.”

Memberships are $120 per year for individuals and $180 per year for families. There is also a $10 admission fee when members initially register.

More details on the Astronomy Club’s events, like their annual Star Party, can be found on the club’s Facebook page.