How to Join the Astronomy Section and What Membership Costs

Updated

To join the Astronomy Section of La Société Guernesiaise, you must first be a member of the parent organisation, LSG, and then pay the section's annual subscription of £15.00. The subscription runs for one calendar year starting 1 January. In return you get regular emails about upcoming activities and the annual Sagittarius Newsletter.

Membership requirements at a glance

Item Detail
Parent membership Required — you must also be a member of La Société Guernesiaise (LSG)
Section subscription £15.00 per year
Subscription period One calendar year, starting 1 January
Who can join Anyone with an interest in the night sky, from absolute beginners to experienced astronomers
Main benefits Regular emails on upcoming activities; annual Sagittarius Newsletter with astronomical data and insights for the year ahead

The section describes itself as an active group of approximately 60 members, founded in 1972, and welcomes everyone with an interest in astronomy. Members' interests span the Solar System, deep-sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae, cosmology, astrophotography, and the history of astronomy.

What to do before you pay

The site states the LSG membership requirement but does not publish the LSG subscription rate or a step-by-step sign-up form on the pages summarised here. Before paying the £15.00 section subscription, confirm two things with the section:

  1. Your LSG membership status — whether you are already a member, or need to join LSG first.
  2. The current joining route — how the section wants to receive your details and payment.

The site's Contact page includes a contact form, which is the natural place to ask both questions.

What membership gives you

  • Weekly meetings: Tuesdays at 8pm through most of the year, including talks by members or guest speakers, discussions, practical activities, and observational sessions when weather allows. The section describes these as beginner-friendly.
  • The Sagittarius Newsletter: an annual publication with astronomical data and insights for the year ahead. Current and previous editions are viewable on the Newsletters page, so you can sample it before joining.
  • Access to observatory activity: the section runs the David Le Conte Astronomical Observatory, equipped with a research-grade 16-inch Meade telescope and a 5-inch Takahashi refractor on a computer-controlled mount, housed in a timber-framed building with a roll-off roof. The observatory opens for visiting groups and open events.

A practical way to decide

If you are new to astronomy, the Tuesday meetings and beginner-friendly framing make the £15.00 subscription a low-cost way to try the group before committing more time. If you are mainly interested in the newsletter, check the Newsletters page first — if the published editions give you what you need, you can judge whether full membership adds enough value. Either way, the LSG membership requirement is the first thing to settle, so start with the contact form.