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What is the RAC?
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The Rappahannock Astronomy Club is a non-profit organization located in the
Fredericksburg, VA area whose
members share a common interest in astronomy and related fields.
RAC is dedicated to the advancement of public interest in, and knowledge
of, the science of astronomy. Membership is open to anyone interested
in astronomy regardless of his or her knowledge about it. Owning
a telescope or binoculars is not a requirement of the club, just a desire
to expand your knowledge and share your experiences with the club.
Members of RAC are primarily from the Fredericksburg area including, but
not limited to, the counties of Stafford, Spotsylvania, and King George.
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Monthly Meetings
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RAC holds meetings on the second Wednesday of every month at the Central Rappahanock Library
in downtown Fredericksburg, VA. The
meetings start at 7:00 p.m. and last about two hours depending on planned
activities. These activities usually include presentations on current
astronomy topics and range from amateur telescope making to astrophotography.
Guests are always welcome.
View our club meeting minutes.
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Club Bylaws
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View the club bylaws.
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Club Resources
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Members are eligible for discount subscriptions to Astronomy and Sky
& Telescope magazines and on books and star charts. RAC has over
40 members at this time, some of which have many years of experience in
astronomy and telescope making. Expert advice and instruction on
purchasing, using and building telescopes and accessories is available.
In addition, RAC has an expanding library of books and magazines related
to astronomy, and two telescopes (an 8" Dobsonian-mounted reflector
and a 6" equatorial-mounted reflector).
These items are available for members to borrow and use.
We have a flyer describing the club.
Club members are welcome to duplicate and distribute this at public events
the club supports.
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Special Events
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Nearly every month, RAC holds a local public star party. Members
are encouraged to bring their telescopes and binoculars and spend the evening
observing. It is a good opportunity to share viewing with others
and to improve observing skills as well as a chance to look through a variety
of different telescopes to help choose the right one for you. RAC
also makes an effort to bring astronomy to the public on special occasions
by setting up during the day in downtown Fredericksburg for solar observing,
or in the evening at the Spotsylvania Mall for planetary observing.
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RAC Mailing List
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RAC has a club email mailing list for astronomy and club related
messages. To subscribe, just send an email to majordomo@m31.us
with the line "subscribe raclub" in the body of the message. You
will receive an email back with additional instructions. If you have
any problems, you can send an email to me at
holliday@acm.org
with the address at which you want to receive messages and I will administratively
add you to the mailing list.
To send an email to everyone on the mailing list, just send the email to
raclub@m31.us and everyone will receive it.
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Do You Want to Join?
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Membership is only $15 per family for one year and includes the monthly
newsletter filled with upcoming astronomical events, club activities, and
interesting articles. Individual students may join for only $7.50.
Members are also eligible for discount subscriptions to Astronomy and Sky
& Telescope magazines.
If you are interested in joining the RAC, please print this
membership application and mail it in.
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