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ASTROBLAST 2020 HAS BEEN CANCELLED Click here to learn about AstroBlast 2019. The Oil Region Astronomical Society was founded in 1993. The first observatory was located in Two Mile Run County Park, Venango County, PA. In 2014, the ORAS Observatory moved to a new site. Land was donated for an observatory in southeastern Venango County, off Camp Coffman Road -- a location with a darker sky and a better view to the south. The process of building a new observatory and installing bigger and better telescopes is now at an end! |
ORAS mission statement
It is the mission of the Oil Region Astronomical Society to educate and inspire learners of all ages about the wonders of the universe we live in.
Help support ORAS through Amazon Smile!
ORAS is an authorized recipient of Amazon Smile donations. When you shop at Amazon via the "smile.amazon.com" portal, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases at no cost to you. Here's how to set up an Amazon Smile account:
1) Go to smile.amazon.com. Click on "get started."
2) In the search box, enter Oil Region Astronomical Society Inc. as the charity you wish to benefit. You must include the "Inc." at the end. Then click on "select." From then on, you can benefit ORAS with every Amazon Smile purchase. You only have to select your charity once.
3) In the search window at the top of the screen, type in the name of the merchant and/or product you'd like to buy (e.g., Televue Barlow lens). You will then be routed to one or more product descriptions that will allow you to complete your purchase.
4) You’re now set up to shop while supporting ORAS. Just remember to start every Amazon purchase at smile.amazon.com. We hope this will become a continuing source of income for our club!
Clear Sky Chart
Click below for current and projected ORAS Observatory sky conditions from the Clear Sky Chart.
At a glance, the Clear Sky Chart shows when it will be cloudy or clear for up to the next two days. It's a prediction of when the ORAS observatory site will have good weather for astronomical observing. Click on "HELP" in the lower right hand corner of the Clear Sky Chart for information on how to read the chart.
The Clear Sky Chart was developed by the Canadian Meteorological Centre. It is now sponsored by the Northern Virginia Astronomical Club, the Edmonton Centre and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The managers of the chart run three computer weather simulations every twelve hours. The output looks just like satellite pictures, but the dates are from the future. To see them, click on the 'cloud', 'tran' or 'seeing' blocks above.
The Clear Sky Chart was developed by the Canadian Meteorological Centre. It is now sponsored by the Northern Virginia Astronomical Club, the Edmonton Centre and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The managers of the chart run three computer weather simulations every twelve hours. The output looks just like satellite pictures, but the dates are from the future. To see them, click on the 'cloud', 'tran' or 'seeing' blocks above.