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What is SIGMA?
SIGMA is Moray's astronomy club: a local society for people in and around Moray, Scotland, who share an interest in astronomy. It is run by a committee and holds regular in-person meetings rather than being an online-only community or a commercial astronomy retailer.
What a meeting looks like
Meetings are held at Alves Village Hall on the first Friday of the month, unless stated otherwise. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. The programme mixes talks with social formats — recent examples include a talk debunking the Apollo Moon hoax theory and a Christmas quiz.
If you are curious but not ready to commit, the club's own invitation is that your first meeting is free, so you can "try before you buy." Membership enquiries go to the Membership Secretary by email, and there is a membership information page.
Who it suits
- Complete beginners in Moray who want a local, low-pressure way to learn: the free first meeting is the obvious entry point.
- Amateur astronomers looking for monthly talks, other observers to talk to, and a regular date in the diary.
- People who prefer in-person clubs to forums or video channels, since the core activity is the monthly hall meeting.
- Members wanting more talks: club members can also attend meetings of the Highlands Astronomical Society (HAS), which effectively widens the programme.
Beyond the monthly meeting
SIGMA has a wider presence than just the hall nights. Members share astrophotography and observing results through the club's Flickr pages under "Images of the Moment," and there is a SIGMA YouTube channel. The club also posts news on X and Facebook, and members can buy SIGMA-branded clothing.
How to decide
If you are within reasonable travel of Alves, treat the next first-Friday meeting as a no-cost trial: turn up for the 7pm doors, see whether the talks and the crowd suit you, and only then ask the Membership Secretary about joining. If you are outside Moray, the club is probably not the right fit for regular attendance — but its Flickr and YouTube output can still be worth following.
More detail is on the club's own site: SIGMA.
How do I attend a SIGMA meeting for the first time?
Attend on the first Friday of the month at Alves Village Hall: doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start, and your first meeting is free. Just turn up — no need to arrange anything in advance.
What to expect
- Arrive for 7pm so you have time to settle in before the 7.30pm start.
- Check the programme first. The club lists its forthcoming meetings, so you can pick a topic that appeals — for example, a talk debunking the Apollo Moon Hoax theory, or the Christmas quiz.
- Expect a mixed audience. Club meetings typically draw a range of experience levels, from complete beginners to long-standing observers, which makes a first visit low-pressure.
- Bring questions. Talks are usually followed by a chance to chat, and that's where you'll learn most about local observing conditions and equipment people actually use.
If you decide to join
Membership enquiries go to the Membership Secretary at [email protected], or via the club's Membership Information page. A useful extra: SIGMA members can also attend meetings of the Highlands Astronomical Society, which widens the programme available to you. The club also sells branded clothing to members.
A practical first-visit checklist
- Check the date and any venue changes on SIGMA before travelling — the club notes that the first-Friday pattern holds "unless otherwise specified".
- Arrive at 7pm rather than 7.30pm if you'd like to speak to someone before the talk begins.
- Bring a notebook or phone for notes; you'll hear names of objects, apps and suppliers worth following up.
- Ask about the club's Flickr pages and YouTube channel — reviewing members' images beforehand gives you a sense of what the group observes and how active it is.
- Decide about membership after the free first meeting, not before.
How do I become a member of SIGMA?
To join SIGMA, Moray's Astronomy Club, start by attending a meeting: they meet on the first Friday of the month at Alves Village Hall, doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Your first meeting is free, so you can try the club before committing. When you're ready to join, contact the Membership Secretary at [email protected] or use the Membership Information page on SIGMA.
What to expect as a member
- Monthly Friday meetings with talks and social events — the published 2026 programme includes a talk debunking the Apollo Moon Hoax theory and a Christmas quiz.
- Access to club activities such as member images on Flickr and the club's YouTube channel.
- Option to buy SIGMA-branded clothing.
- Reciprocal attendance at Highlands Astronomical Society meetings.
Practical next step
Before your first visit, email the Membership Secretary to confirm the date and venue, especially if a meeting is marked "unless otherwise specified." If you're new to astronomy, a free first meeting is a low-risk way to see whether the talks and crowd suit you. If you already belong to another astronomy club, ask whether reciprocal arrangements apply.
What talks and events are coming up in the SIGMA programme?
SIGMA, Moray's astronomy club, lists its forthcoming meetings on the "What's On" section of its homepage. The two dates shown there are:
- Friday 6 November 2026 — "Debunking the Apollo Moon Hoax Theory," a talk by Dr Ken MacTaggart FBIS of the Highlands Astronomical Society.
- Friday 4 December 2026 — the club's Christmas Quiz.
Meetings normally take place on the first Friday of the month at Alves Village Hall, with doors opening at 7pm for a 7.30pm start, unless stated otherwise. The programme page carries a "read more" link beside each entry, so fuller details — such as any change of venue or format — sit behind those links rather than in the summary.
Who this suits
If you are curious about astronomy but not ready to commit, the first meeting is free, described by the club as a chance to "try before you buy." That makes the November talk a low-risk way to sample the format before joining. Members can also attend meetings of the Highlands Astronomical Society, which extends the programme beyond SIGMA's own dates.
Practical next step
Check the current programme before travelling, since the listing notes that the first-Friday pattern holds only "unless otherwise specified," and the quiz in December is a different kind of evening from a guest lecture. If you want to confirm arrangements or ask about membership, the club directs enquiries to its Membership Secretary at [email protected], and it also posts updates via X, Facebook and YouTube, with member images on Flickr.
For a wider regional comparison, the Highlands Astronomical Society runs its own programme that SIGMA members may attend.
Where is the SIGMA meeting venue and when do meetings start?
SIGMA meets at Alves Village Hall in Moray, Scotland. Meetings are held on the first Friday of the month unless a different date is specified. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
That timing matters if you're travelling: arriving at 7pm gives you half an hour to park, find the room and chat before the talk begins, rather than slipping in after the speaker has started. If you're coming from further afield in Moray or beyond, treat 7pm as your realistic arrival target, not 7.30pm.
A practical next step is to check the current programme before you travel, since the club notes that the first-Friday pattern has exceptions. The 2026 listings on the club's site, for example, include a November meeting on Friday 6 November and a Christmas Quiz on Friday 4 December. See SIGMA for the latest dates and any venue notes.
If you're deciding whether to go, the club says your first meeting is free, so a single visit is a low-commitment way to judge whether the talks and the crowd suit you. You can also follow the club on X, Facebook or YouTube to see recent activity and member images before attending. For membership questions, the club directs enquiries to its Membership Secretary at [email protected].
What is the relationship between SIGMA and the Highlands Astronomical Society?
SIGMA presents itself as Moray's astronomy club, and its relationship with the Highlands Astronomical Society (HAS) is one of friendly cooperation rather than merger or parent-body control. The clearest practical expression of that link is reciprocal meeting access: SIGMA states that its members can also attend meetings of the Highlands Astronomical Society. The two groups also share the local astronomy circuit — a forthcoming SIGMA talk on the Apollo Moon Hoax theory is given by Dr Ken MacTaggart of the Highlands Astronomical Society, so HAS speakers appear in SIGMA's programme.
What this means in practice depends on where you live and how far you are willing to travel:
- If you are based in Moray, SIGMA is your local club, meeting at Alves Village Hall on the first Friday of the month.
- If you are closer to Inverness or the wider Highlands, HAS may be the more convenient home club — and as a SIGMA member you can still attend its meetings.
- If you are deciding between them, ask each club's membership secretary how the arrangement works in detail: whether HAS meetings are included at no extra cost, whether advance notice is needed, and whether the same courtesy runs in the other direction.
The stated benefit for newcomers is low-risk: your first SIGMA meeting is free, so you can try the club before committing to membership. Contact the Membership Secretary at [email protected] for the specifics of the HAS arrangement, since the club's public page describes the benefit without spelling out conditions.
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