What is the Spokane Astronomical Society website?

Updated

spokaneastronomical.org is the official website of the Spokane Astronomical Society (SAS), a non-profit, volunteer-run astronomy organization based in Spokane, Washington. The site is a community hub rather than a commercial product: it exists to promote enjoyment and education in astronomy across the Inland Northwest, and its main value is practical — meeting times, event locations, and announcements for anyone interested in observing or learning about the sky.

Who runs it and who it's for

The site describes SAS as non-profit and volunteer-run, dedicated to "promoting enjoyment and education in astronomy and astronomy-related topics throughout the Inland Northwest." That framing tells you what to expect:

  • No sales pitch. The content is oriented around participation, not products.
  • Local focus. Events and logistics center on Spokane, Washington and the surrounding region.
  • Open audience. The tone ("Astronomy just for the fun of it!") suggests beginners and casual enthusiasts are welcome alongside experienced observers.

If you're outside the Inland Northwest, the site is still readable, but the meeting and event information won't be actionable for you.

What the site actually contains

The homepage is organized around a few recurring blocks:

Section What it provides
Announcements Posts about specific meetings and activities, often with location and timing details
Upcoming Events A forward look at what the society is doing next
General Meeting info The regular monthly meeting schedule and format

A representative example from the site's announcements: the July general meeting was held at the "Party Palace" site, a semi-rural location at 8616 N Lehman Road, just north of Bigelow Gulch Road. The meeting began at 7:30 PM, with an optional burger cookout and potluck starting at 6:30 PM. Because summer darkness is scarce, the observing plan that month focused on a single star, using white light and Hydrogen Alpha solar telescopes, with a session on how to observe the sun safely.

That single post shows the pattern: meetings mix a social element, a practical astronomy activity, and an educational component, and the site publishes the logistics you'd need to attend.

Meeting schedule at a glance

The site states the general meeting runs on the second Friday of each month, with a seasonal time change:

  • November–March: 7:00 pm
  • April–October: 7:30 pm

Note that individual events can shift — the July meeting above started at 7:30 PM with an earlier 6:30 PM cookout — so the announcement post is the more reliable source for any given month.

Is it worth following?

Follow the site if you want a low-commitment way to join local astronomy activity: monthly meetings, occasional solar or night-sky observing, and a mix of indoor and outdoor gatherings. It's most useful as a calendar and logistics source rather than a deep reference library. If you're looking for structured coursework, equipment reviews, or a national community, this isn't that — it's a local club's front door, and its strength is telling you where and when to show up.