The Barnard Astronomical Society (BAS) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since forming in 1923, our goals to further education and the love of astronomy in our community haven’t changed in a hundred years. Please visit our history section to learn more about our organization.

BAS monthly meetings are currently held at 6:30 PM on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Clarence T. Jones Observatory (CTJO) located just off of Brainerd Road. At monthly meetings, we generally have a short business discussion and then members or special guests give presentations with topics that include everything from highlighting celestial objects and events, how to sketch galaxies observed through a telescope, and assistance with picking a beginner telescope. We also sometimes incorporate a planetarium show. Our meetings are typically streamed live to the membership and then the presentation portion is generally posted on our BAS YouTube channel. If the weather cooperates, we may even take in views of the night sky through the historic 20.5” telescope.

BAS community activities within the Chattanooga area include outreach events such as free star parties where the public is invited to view the night sky through telescopes, working with local STEM/STEAM educators, and telescope workshops and buyer guide events. Please check our events calendar and our social media platforms to find out details about upcoming public events.

BAS meetings and most of our events are open to anyone interested in learning more about astronomy. However, we obviously encourage the advantages of membership, which includes various discounts, our monthly BAS newsletter “The Barnard Star”, and membership in the Astronomical League that includes access to various observing programs and a subscription to their quarterly issue of the “Reflector” magazine. Additional membership benefits include BAS member only activities such as field trips to science centers, planetariums, etc., and private viewing and astrophotography star parties. Membership is open to all levels of knowledge (beginners to advanced) and to anyone with or without astronomy equipment, such as a telescope.