The South Plains Astronomy Club is people of all ages who enjoy exploring the beautiful skies of West Texas. Founded in 1959, the club sponsors more than 20 free public star parties per year in and around Lubbock. Some of us are beginners with small inexpensive telescopes. Some of us are lifelong hobbyists with larger scopes. A few operate professional-grade remote-controlled observatories located under pristine dark skies out in ranch country. What unites us all is a passion for the glorious sights in the heavens above us, a fascination with the science of astronomy, and a desire to share this with others.
One of the main goals of the South Plains Astronomy Club is to promote the understanding and enjoyment of astronomy among the general public. SPAC is very active in outreach activities that involve youth, church and school groups across the Texas South Plains. Through our twice-monthly Public Stargazing Events , we introduce whole communities to the wonder and enjoyment of the night sky. In an age where television, video games and the Internet dominate the free time of many people (in particular, young people), SPAC provides an alternative to experience first-hand the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world around us and to gain an understanding of how it operates.
SPAC is a non-profit organization and membership is very inexpensive. Membership is open to anyone of any age who has an interest in astronomy. Experience and expertise in amateur astronomy is not required. Beginners are welcome!
Members hold monthly meetings on the third Thursday evening of every month and can be attended in-person or online. Meetings usually focus on planning upcoming observing events and feature a presentation by one of the members.
SPAC holds occasional members-only observing sessions that take place farther out of town in dark-sky locations. These sessions are sometimes open-ended and sometimes dedicated to a specific observing objective, e.g. a lunar occultation or our annual Spring marathon to try to observe all 110 Messier objects in one night.
