CAS is one of the nation’s oldest and largest amateur astronomy organizations. Founded in 1911 by Dr DeLisle Stewart, CAS was founded on the idea of bringing astronomy within reach to the general public.
Dr Stewart, who had previously worked on staff at Harvard College and later The Cincinnati Observatory, was an early adopter of astrophotography, and believed in its application in astronomy research.
Dr Stewart’s dream was to build a world class observatory on the West side of Cincinnati, but after decades of difficulty with fund raising and construction, the idea was abandoned due to the effects of The Great Depression. But CAS continued on in that location after Dr Stewart’s passing in 1941.
About the Cincinnati Astronomical Society
Today CAS owns three properties, a headquarters on the West side of Cincinnati at the original Stewart residence location, and two dark sky sites; one in Adams County Ohio, and the other in Bracken County Kentucky.
The headquarters building features a telescope field with four permanent observatories including our historic Alvan Clark 1880 refractor.
The other three observatories features 14 and 16 inch newtonian reflectors, and a small observatory which contains either a larger SCT or small refractor depending on which usage the Society assigns it for various activities.
CAS is heavily involved in public outreach, in the spirit of our founder DeLisle Stewart, participating in 60-70 events per year. Outreach is a cornerstone of our Society and written into our mission satement.
CAS also has active citizen science and radio astronomy programs as well as an active group of very accomplished astrophotographers.
CAS holds monthly members meetings and monthly telescope training sessions to keep our members involved and constantly learning to increase their skills as amateur astronomers.
