Harford County Astronomical Society
T
he Harford County Astronomical Society (HCAS) was founded in 1970 and is affiliated with the Astronomical League. The Society offers a wide range of activities for persons with an interest in astronomy. These include: Numerous opportunities to view the planets, moon, and stars.
HCAS holds monthly meetings, sometimes with a speaker on an aspect of astronomy. Several club meetings are open to the public and are held in the observatory located on the campus of Harford Community College, just outside of Bel Air, Maryland.
HCAS conducts public open houses on one Saturday night of each month throughout the year. The general public is invited to these events which are held at the observatory. Parking is at the Vocational Technical High School parking lot which is adjacent to the observatory.
HCAS has a private “dark sky” site near Broad Creek which is used by HCAS members for star parties and other advanced observing/imaging sessions. These events are not open to the public.
HCAS also participates with the college in a cooperative effort which includes operating the observatory and assisting in the observational program for students enrolled in the college’s astronomy classes. The primary instrument at the observatory is a 14-inch Celestron C-14 catadioptric Schmidt-Cassegrain. The mount is an Astro-Physics 1200 GOTO computerized system.
