The West Hawaii Astronomy Club is currently a non-affiliated group of interested astronomy geeks (ok, some of us are not so geeky) who enjoy the following shared vision:

To meet regularly, socialize, discuss the wonders of the cosmos, hold observing sessions & clinics, and generally promote the advancement of the hobby of astronomy on the west side of the big island of Hawaii.

Who are we?

• We unofficially call ourselves "WHACos"....it's a historical thing...we're really not crazy.
• We live and work on West Hawaii island (from South Point to Kohala.).
• We typically observe together in very dark sky conditions.
• We are sponsored by CFHT and the Keck Observatory. We have friends and associates at other Mauna Kea observatories.
• We rely on a Yahoo group for club communications. Please check often for event schedules and updates.
• Our club members run the range of experience from little, to advanced/semi-professional astronomers. Club members also have a wide variety of equipment from none to large (20-24 inch) dobsonians. We have some pretty advanced visual astronomers and astrophotographers in the group, as well as some aspiring learners.
• We have a motto that is inclusive. You don't need to have a lot of experience to join us, but we do ask that you have a willingness to share your enthusiam. The beauty of astronomy is that the field covers physics, chemistry, math, optics, art, philosophy, religion, etc (although we don't encourage religious debate...that often gets ugly!). It is impossible for one person to be well versed in all of these fields. If you can help us learn and/or share your interests, and if you have passion for learning the wonders of the cosmos, (or if you just like socializing with other gearheads and nighttime observers), you will probably fit right in with our cadre.

Membership is open to anyone with interest in the hobby of Astronomy. You don't need to own a telescope to join, but we hope you'll eventually desire to find a dark sky with us and at least look for yourself in an eyepiece. We suspect that once this happens, we'll have even more telescopes in the club.

We have meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm. Meetings are open to the public, and are for exchange of knowledge, information, and interesting discussions concerning all aspects of Astronomy. The meetings are held at the Headquarters of Keck Observatory in Waimea.

There's no formal membership in WHAC. The club communication is built around our Groups.io Group. If you'd like to "join" the club, sign up for that email group.