Astronomical Unit of Michigan

		Astronomy Observing Group

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The Astronomical Unit of Michigan was started in 2005. 

The astronomical unit represents the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. It is used as a unit of measurement in astronomy like the light year. There are roughly 63,241 astronomical units in a light year and it takes about 8 minutes and 18 seconds for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth.

The astronomical unit has since 1976 been precisely defined as a derived constant, equal to 149,597,870.691 kilometers or 92,959,993 miles, give or take a few meters. You might want to research further to learn more about the interesting history of this measurement and the scientific methods used to calculate it today.

In astronomy texts you may see the astronomical unit abbreviated as AU or au or a.u. or ua.

Our club has chosen AU as the name for our astronomically inclined collective. We gather periodically and sometimes spontaneously to share in the joy and the wonder of our universe, as witnessed in the night sky.

 

Our Mission

°°   Our members are  novice,  amateur, or professional astronomers

°°   Make things simple for new members & guests

°°   Make new people feel at home.

°°   To be friendly and informative to the public.

°°   Club observing at least 3 times a year.

°°   Help out with planetarium special events

°°   Observe stars, planets, nebulas, galaxies, etc.

°°   We are interested in astronomy!

°°   Meetings generally last 1/2 hour

°°   Membership costs are minimal

Meeting/Observing  Locations
 
Our club meets in the Saginaw Valley.  Most meetings start at Delta College Planetarium in Bay City.  We then observe at the Planetarium or move to a darker sky site.  Click here for our current schedule.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Our club operates on a minimal budget.  All of our contact is via e-mail. 

 
Electronic mail
General Information: info@aumich.org
President: Gary Beckstrom,  president@aumich.org
Vice President: Robert Schindehette, vicepresident@aumich.org
Secretary:  Laura Wade, secretary@aumich.org
Treasurer: Steven VanTol, treasurer@aumich.org
 

Webmaster: steve@aumich.org
 

 

Send mail to steve@aumich.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2007 Astoronomical Unit of Michigam
Last Update 01/20/2012