Santa Cruz Astronomy Club

Welcome!

The Santa Cruz Astronomy Club serves all communities in Santa Cruz County, California and neighboring areas. Our emphasis is telescope observing, family participation, and public enjoyment of the wonders of the starry night. See the calendar below for our schedule...

We meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm, at the Santa Margarita Meeting Room at the Scotts Valley Water District Offices (enter off of Civic Center Drive or Scotts Valley Drive). Watch the calendar for news.

We hold a monthly 'star party' at Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, starting about sunset (its fully dark typically 90 minutes after sunset) as weather allows. Sunset time in Santa Cruz County.

Club members volunteer to provide a viewing experience to the public. We may randomly do sidewalk astronomy around the area, as well as occasional school and camp groups. Email us for news of events or to request our participation.

If you're planning to come to one of our events, check our calendar for last minute updates, especially in winter months.

Benefits of joining the Santa Cruz Astronomy Club

The SCAC welcomes people of all ages, experience levels, and interest areas. If you have an interest in the night sky, and wish you knew more, the SCAC is a great way to get started! We offer beginner ‘star tours’, loaner scopes, and advice. SCAC members gain access to:

Opportunities to connect with other astronomy enthusiasts
Monthly members-only viewing events at the best place for star-gazing in the county
Yosemite star party at Glacier Point
FREE club telescope loaner program
Volunteer and outreach opportunities

Mail Lists

The Santa Cruz Astronomy Club maintains an email list on google groups for its members. This list is used for announcements, event planning, and general discussions related to our club and astronomy. To subscribe to this list email Contact@astronomy.santa-cruz.ca.us, and tell us your city, interest in the club, and the email account you wish to use (you'll need a google account but don't have to use gmail for this list).

Public star parties

We hold one or two public star parties every month.

QUAIL HOLLOW RANCH COUNTY PARK. Our primary public star party site is Quail Hollow, near Ben Lomond and Felton. Everyone is invited to bring your own scopes or talk to the amateur astronomers and view through their scopes. We set up in the overflow parking area, which is to the right of the driveway just before the white fence. Please park in the regular visitors parking to the left of the driveway, unless you're setting up a telescope with us. If you're bringing a scope, we recommend arriving before its completely dark, no later than about 1 hour after sunset. If you are new to the hobby and/or you have a telescope you'd like some help learning, bring it to the park. Email us beforehand and tell us the kind of scope you'll be bringing. Join us and stay for as long (or as short) as you'd like; it's very informal. See our Facebook page or our calendar above for event information. We cancel if it's raining or the ground is muddy. Watch our calendar.

Quail Hollow Ranch Sky Conditions

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