Denver Astronomical Society
75th Anniversary Milestones
1949 – Founded as the Denver Telescope Maker’s Club. During the early years of the club, meetings were held twice each month: one meeting at the then Denver Museum of Natural History, and the other at the University of Denver’s historic Chamberlin Observatory.
1951 – The name of the club was changed to Denver Astronomical Society. Membership in the early 1950s was about 30 individuals, and the group was very active in the community.
1954 (April 19) – Articles of Incorporation were filed by Kenneth Steinmetz, David Clow, Ralph Asbury, Ray Kramer, Robert Spalding, and William Van Nattan. According to the filing, “The object for which our said Corporation is formed and incorporated is for the purpose of … Bringing together those interested in the study of astronomy and in the building of telescopes and related instruments; making ourselves more proficient observers and students of astronomy; and cooperating with observatories, astronomers, and others interested in astronomical work.”
1955 – DAS helped plan and construct the first planetarium at the then Denver Museum of Natural History. The first program was offered on December 26, 1955, and members of DAS operated the planetarium for the next several years.
1957 – The Denver Moonwatch team was founded. With a $1000 grant from the then Denver Museum of Natural History, an observing platform and the Moonwatch telescope observing array were installed on the DMNH roof in anticipation of the launch of the first American artificial satellite. The Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite claimed the honor of being first, however. (October 5) – The first attempt to spot and track Sputnik-1 was unsuccessful from the observatory array, per a Denver Post clip dated 10/5/1957, evening edition, and a Rocky Mountain News clip dated 10/6/1957, morning edition. The Denver Moonwatch team was later among the first groups to observe the Soviet Sputnik satellite. More information about Operation Moonwatch is available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moonwatch
1973 – DAS created the Van Nattan-Hansen Scholarship Fund to honor the memories of William Van Nattan and Charles Hansen. Following the passing of DAS member John Anderson in 2023 and his estate’s bequest to the fund, the scholarship program was renamed the Van Nattan-Hansen-Anderson Scholarship Fund. Over the years, the scholarship program has assisted at least 30 astronomy and physical sciences or mathematics students, providing more than $48,000 in assistance for their education. Thanks to the gifts and contributions of many friends of astronomy, the fund continues to offer scholarships to high school and undergraduate students.
1980 – DAS helped with getting the University of Denver’s historic Chamberlin Observatory listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was coordinated with the first National Astronomy Day, and the dedication was attended by Colorado’s U.S. Representative Pat Schroeder. At the time, a display commemorating the event was set up in the Aurora Mall.
1894 to present – Public Night events have been held at DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory since shortly after first light for the 20-inch Clark refractor in 1894. Those events were hosted by DU for many years, and were later hosted by Denver Astronomical Society. Today, DAS holds the popular Public Nights on Tuesday and Thursday evenings of each week. During each Public Night an astronomy-themed lecture is provided by one of our volunteers, followed by observing through the observatory’s telescope. In the event of inclement weather, attendees are provided with a tour of the observatory after the lecture. [Note: Reservations are required for members of the public to attend our twice-weekly Public Night events. Additional information is available on DAS’s website (https://www.denverastro.org/).]
1993 – DAS began a tradition of what were then called first-quarter star parties, held each month on the Saturday closest to the “half-full” phase of the Moon at DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory. Those star parties continue on a monthly basis today under the name Open House. During the monthly events, the observatory is open to the public (reservations are not required for Open Houses), and DAS members set up their personal telescopes on the park lawn for public observing.
1996 (October) – The Executive Board selected Wayne Kaaz, Steve Solon, Terry Chatterton, and Pat Ryan to locate a dark site for DAS. The group looked at over 50 potential locations. In February of 1998 the first lease was signed for the current dark site location near Deer Trail, CO.
2000 (spring) – First concrete pads were poured at the new dark site, electricity connected, and a vault toilet installed. At the time the dark site was known as the DAS Deer Trail Dark Site. After Ed Kline’s passing on March 13, 2002, the dark site was named the “Edmund G. Kline Dark Sky Site” in recognition of his many significant contributions to its development.
2000 (July) – Jack Eastman was named Denver Astronomical Society Chief Observer. (October) – The first ever Denver Sky Show, cosponsored by DAS and Astronomy Magazine, was planned to be held at Aurora Reservoir, and was to feature constellation, lunar and planetary, and deep sky stations. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and the event was canceled.
2003 (March) – The late Larry Brooks was named President Emeritus, in recognition of his service to DAS (President 1993-1994, and again from 1999 until his passing). Under Larry’s leadership, DAS grew from 167 members in 1993 to 350 members in 2003.
2006 – DAS helped obtain a state historical grant of $199,585 for repairs and restoration of Chamberlin Observatory.
2008 – Neil Pearson received the Astronomical League’s Jack Horkheimer Award for exceptional service by a young astronomer.
2010 (September) – The objective lens in the observatory’s 20-inch Clark refractor – perhaps for the first time since the late 1800s – was removed, cleaned, measured, and reinstalled in the telescope. The team doing the work included Chris Ray (Antique Telescope Society), who presided over the operation; Dr. Robert Stencel, Observatory Director; Aaron Reid, Observatory Administrator; and DAS’s Jack Eastman. Measurements made during the project were later used by the ATS’s Roger C. Ceragioli in an analysis of the lens’s optical properties. That analysis was published in the Fall 2011 issue of the Journal of the Antique Telescope Society.
2014 – DAS introduced a new and very special recognition, the Bill Ormsby Memorial Volunteer Award. The engraved crystal and marble award was the brainchild of then-Secretary Dena McClung, and was presented to a very deserving Darrell Dodge. Here’s the introduction to the presentation of the new award that then-President Ron Hranac read aloud at the banquet:
“Thanks so much to those of you who commit your time to the Denver Astronomical Society. Without each of you, the DAS would not be what it is today. Some of you are relatively new but are already making a difference. Others have been around for a very long time and have become pillars of support. And yet another entire group of people, having passed on, made significant contributions before leaving DAS and the planet behind. One of those who left us a little over a year ago was a virtual fixture at open houses and other DAS events. Bill Ormsby served in many ways over the years, but many members and guests remember him more recently as the ‘Minder of the Chain’ at the bottom of the Chamberlin stairway. Good weather or bad, cloudy or clear, Bill faithfully regulated the number of guests admitted to the dome room during open houses, month after month, year after year, for as long as some of us can remember. We have decided to honor Bill by creating and presenting the Bill Ormsby Memorial Volunteer Award to a DAS member who has done some incredibly heavy lifting for the organization.”
2022 – DAS members who use and enjoy the Dark Site today do so because of Darrell Dodge’s tireless work over many years with the Dark Site Committee and the Dark Site itself. In a tribute to Darrell, the Executive Board officially voted and resolved in October 2022 that, in recognition of his longstanding and outstanding stewardship of the DAS Dark Site, the facility be named the Kline-Dodge Dark Site. The change was made official on December 10, 2022, during a special presentation at the DAS Holiday Banquet.
2024 – Denver Astronomical Society is celebrating its 75th anniversary! The City and County of Denver recognized DAS’s 75th anniversary with an official proclamation, which was unveiled to members and guests attending the 2024 summer picnic.
Denver Astronomical Society has shared the day and night sky with tens of thousands of members of the public since its founding 75 years ago. During the 2000s, before the pandemic, DAS Open Houses, Public Nights, and external outreach events were regularly serving upwards of 4000 to 5000 people each year. Mars oppositions, and lunar and solar eclipses have been especially popular, with some events held at DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory drawing anywhere from several hundred to a couple thousand people to line up to look through member telescopes on the park lawn and through the 20-inch Clark refractor inside of the observatory. An observing event for the 1994 Comet Shoemaker-Levy impact on Jupiter drew several thousand people to Observatory Park. Today, DAS is the largest astronomical club in the Astronomical League, and one of the largest in the United States, with more than 1000 memberships comprising nearly 1200 members, and continues to fulfill the original mission stated on its 1954 Articles of Incorporation – and then some!
