About - MAS

 Mission Statement:

To stimulate an interest in the science of astronomy in the community; to nurture an ongoing desire by members of the Michiana Astronomical Society to understand the cosmos and to provide opportunities for members of the Michiana Astronomical Society and local community to participate in the joy and beauty of the heavens above.

The Michiana Astronomical Society, founded in 1974, is a group of individuals from the South Bend/Mishawaka area who share a common interest in astronomy. Our meetings take place on the third Thursday of the month @ 7:00PM. Meetings take place at the Centre branch of the South Bend library located at 1150 E Kern Road South Bend, IN 46614. For our extraterrestrial visitors that's: Latitude 41.6071373 North, Longitude 86.3039644 West 

During the warmer months, the Michiana Astronomical Society presents star parties. These star parties are a wonderful way of introducing the joy and wonders of astronomy to you and/or your family. At each star party there is an opportunity to ask questions and view the sky through various telescopes. We also perform outreach events to share astronomy with the local community.

Members also meet monthly on the weekend before the new Moon at one of our group's dark sky observing sites.  These dark, moonless nights and remote locations provide a great opportunity to observe dim celestial wonders such as galaxies, nebula and star clusters.

MAS and it's members are members of the Astronomical League and you will receive the AL's Reflector magazine quarterly.

We do have liability insurance to cover all our star parties and any out reach events the club has or participates in.

If you are interested in learning more about our group, please join us at one of our monthly meetings or contact us. Our address is:

If you are interested in joining, our membership fees are:

Membership Fees

Associate/Family $21.00
Student (single person) $16.00
Senior (single person) $16.00

Want to join, here is the application form:

If you are a new member please fill out an application and email or snail mail it to us. treasurer@michiana-astro.org

2025 MAS Dues

Note: There is a $1.00 fee included to cover PayPal fee's. 

Note: The Astronomy League has raised their membership by $1. Our club has voted to pass on this cost going forward, starting June 2024.

Mission Statement:

To stimulate an interest in the science of astronomy in the community; to nurture an ongoing desire by members of the Michiana Astronomical Society to understand the cosmos and to provide opportunities for members of the Michiana Astronomical Society and local community to participate in the joy and beauty of the heavens above.

Donations to the Michiana Astronomical Society

You can also donate to NIRSEF though MAS here or just donate to MAS:

After selecting the donate button, use the pull down to select MAS or NIRSEF.

Please note 4.5% of your donation, goes to cover the PayPal fees encountered.

 We are a 501c(3) non-profit organization. All contributions are tax deductible.

We appreciate any donations!!!

Thank you

MSP14 Star Party Payment

To pay for the Michiana Star Party via PayPal, use the Donate button. In the comments make a note that it is for the Star Party and add 4.5% to your total to cover the PayPal fees.

Officers elected June 2023:

MAS Officers and Volunteers for 2021/2022

President Bruce Miller Vice President Matt Bielski
Treasurer Paul Surowiec Secretary Michael Hensley
Members-At-Large Marc Listello ALCOR Rep Paul Surowiec
Volunteer Positions      
Web Master Paul Surowiec News Letter (Open)
Star Party Committee Michael Hensley Paul Surowiec (Open)
President Emeritus Chuck Bueter

Communicating with MAS

MAS Email:

Most of our club's communication is done through the Google groups email list server. If you you are interested in our MAS Google group you can sign up here:

http://groups.google.com/group/MAS-Astro

SPAM and junk email is not welcome and users submitting them will be banned.

MAS on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/194314860621232/

   We are a 501c(3) non-profit organization. All contributions are tax deductible.