METU Amateur Astronomy Society (AAS)
METU Amateur Astronomy Society (AAS) was founded in 1986 after that a group of students and academicians interested in astronomy and science gathered to observe Halley’s Comet. Under the METU Directorate of Cultural Affairs, our society has been working for more than 30 years in our community room located within the Physics Department Building. Our members consist of all astronomy enthusiasts, notably METU students and academicians. Volunteering is the main factor in being a member of our society and engaging in the activities held within our organization. As the METU Amateur Astronomy Society, on a volunteer basis, we aim to be a pioneer in the enhancement of astronomy studies in our country in collaboration with astronomy enthusiasts and related institutions. For this purpose, our society organizes various activities.
Observations:
When weather conditions are convenient, we are making various sky observations using appropriate observing instruments. In these activities, the celestial bodies we observe are mainly the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. We also make stellar, natural, and artificial satellite observations. Furthermore, we are organizing trips to the places farther from light pollution to observe the sky more conveniently.
Seminars and Workshops:
As a society, we regularly arrange seminars and workshops on the subject of astronomy and science. In addition to these, we organize documentary and film displays, ‘’Welcome to Young Physicists’’ for students who have just enrolled in the Physics Department, ‘’Being a Women in the Science World’’ dedicated to 8 March International Women’s Day, and so on.
Conferences:
As the METU Amateur Astronomy Society, we hold conferences on our own or together with other societies and organizations. All these conferences are the first and pioneer events in their fields in Turkey concerning their contents and subjects. Also, METU AAS contributes to the National Astronomy Conference of Turkey, held once in two years.
Local and Out of town activities:
Every year, we organize local and out-of-town events so we take significant steps to arouse interest in astronomy. Within this scope, various activities were held in primary and secondary education institutions from different cities. In Ankara, we also take part in science fairs jointly organized by multiple schools, and activities organized by municipalities and various associations.
You can contact us for more detailed information:
Physics Department Room Number: Z-26
Tel: 0 312 210 43 13
Mail: aat@metu.edu.tr
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ODTUAAT/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/odtuaat/
Twitter: twitter.com/odtuaat
Website: http://gokyuzu.org
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