What Activities and Resources Does CUAS Offer Its Members?

Updated

CUAS (Cambridge University Astronomical Society) offers four main things: free astronomy talks, observing nights and telescope training at the Institute of Astronomy, member access to visual observing and astrophotography equipment, and social events including an annual dinner. It is aimed at students and university members, so the practical answer depends on whether you are part of the university community — and on Cambridge weather, since observing events run "weather permitting."

Talks

CUAS invites a range of people working in astronomy to speak to the society. Topics span pure astrophysics, the history of astronomy, observing, and more.

  • Talks generally run about an hour, including questions to the speaker.
  • They are followed by casual conversation over refreshments.
  • Talks are free to attend for everyone — not just members.

If you want regular astronomy content without committing to membership, the talk programme is the lowest-barrier entry point.

Observing events and telescope training

Observing happens at the Institute of Astronomy (Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA), and comes in two forms:

Event What it involves
ObsNights Held weather permitting; combine tips on practical astronomy with observing at the telescopes
ObsDemos Training so you can use the telescopes in your own time, also at the Institute of Astronomy

The society describes its telescopes as historic, and notes there is "lots of fantastic visual observing and astrophotography equipment available for member use." That last point matters: equipment access is framed as a member benefit, while talks are open to all.

Social events

The main social event is the Annual Dinner. Around the start of the academic year there are also Freshers' socials — the 2025 programme lists a Freshers' social on 10th October, followed by an obsnight if weather permits, plus a Northumberland ObsDemo on 11th October and Thorrowgood ObsDemos throughout term.

How to stay in the loop

CUAS asks people to join its mailing list to be notified of events, and also points to an active Instagram profile (upcoming events, member astrophotography, society news) and a stargazing WhatsApp group for sharing sightings and tips. Membership and mailing list sign-up are separate pages on the site.

Choosing what fits you

  • Just curious about astronomy: attend a talk — free and open to everyone.
  • Want hands-on telescope time: go to an ObsNight, then an ObsDemo to get trained for independent use.
  • Want to borrow equipment: membership is the relevant step, since equipment is described as available for member use.
  • Mainly there for the community: the Freshers' social, Annual Dinner, and WhatsApp group are the social core.

One practical caveat: observing events depend on weather, so treat any ObsNight as provisional and check the mailing list or Instagram for confirmation.