This year is the International year of Astronomy. There is a new club on the West Rand that meets at the NG Church in Witpoortjie on a regular basis. They have organised some really great star parties in the Magaliesberg and they get together once a month.

I would suggest that you contact the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa to find out who in your area is an active astronomer.

Just because you live in a small dorpie, don't think you are alone in starhopping.

You will be pleasantly surprised.

Remember, the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.2 million light years away and not 200 million light years. :-)

PS. The latest information shows we are NOT part of the Milky Way !!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are part of the Sagitarius Dwarf presently being canabalised by the Milky Way. THAT is an education and worth while reading in the archives of Space.com.

THIS IS THE HOME PAGE OF BILL HOLLENBACH

NEWS LETTERS! Click HERE! AstronomySA welcomes you to our domain. This internet experience will continually give you updates, images and Internet Links on what is going on in our solar system.  Bill Hollenbach, Astronomer, Past Council Member of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa and Cape Center Committee Member. I am available for private talks and lectures for other institutions and organisations on some weekends. It is advisable that early arrangements be made for private functions, talks and lectures, as I have a very busy schedule. There is a list of alternate public speakers available on this site, and all have had long affiliation with the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa.   Keep your eyes open, as we will pop up at some shopping center's around Gauteng with our telescopes. Look for the Side Walk Astronomers on the internet, and join up. There is a new Astronomy Club on the West Rand and it is growning at a rate of knots. As this is the international year of Astronomy, keep watching out for star parties and astronomy outings. This is going to be an interesting year. To Join Interest Group I have been inundated to start my Introduction to Astronomy Courses again. I have not been doing so for 2 years, as I took a sabatical and rest after my quadruple by-pass operation.

FIND THE LATEST ASTRONOMY NEWS AT HTTP://WWW.SPACE.COM

Special Events    The new space satelites and technology being used, has now made it possible for astronomers to study planets around nearby stars. This was a pipe dream 2 years ago, but, with the advance in technology a reality.. The prices of telescopes have also got a lot more realistic through TELESCOPESHOP. Pay them a visit if you are intersted in getting a scope.

Equipped with only your eyes, you can join other stargazers in a worldwide effort to assess light pollution.

A team of astronomers and environmental scientists wants you to count some stars this month as part of the GLOBE at Night project, an effort to gauge the extent of light pollution worldwide. The task is simple: determine how many of Orion's stars can be seen on clear, moonless evenings from your home or observing site, then report your findings to project's web site.

Conceived by staffers at the National Optical Astronomy Observatories in Tucson, Arizona, this ambitious endeavour is managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and Colorado State University. GLOBE stands for Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, a program to involve primary-and secondary-school students in scientific activities worldwide.