In 2024, the Madison Astronomical Society’s board of directors voted unanimously to rejoin the Astronomical League after an absence of nearly three decades. MAS members can now opt to join the AL when they renew their annual MAS membership or when they initially join the club. Happily, about 60 MAS members have added the AL to their MAS memberships to date.

If you have not yet browsed the AL website, we encourage you to do so at www.astroleague.org. There’s much to learn there. And there are many benefits to AL membership, too. These include:

• The Reflector magazine is a quarterly publication that you will receive as part of your membership. It comes in hard copy by mail or in an electronic format. It includes astronomical news, previews of upcoming celestial events, how-to articles, and information about AL award programs.
• The League coordinates around 70 observing programs designed for amateurs who want to take on more challenges with their visual observing or their astrophotography. Typically, a program requires the observer to view, image, or sketch about 100 targets of a particular kind. The observer keeps a log, submits it to a peer reviewer, and if it is found to be satisfactory, the observer is awarded a certificate of accomplishment and a lapel pin. There are programs for every skill level, from beginner to accomplished observer, and for every observing instrument, from the naked eye to scopes, binoculars, and sophisticated imaging equipment.
• The League hosts excellent in-person and virtual meetings. MAS is part of the AL’s North Central Region. Our regional conference was held in the spring of 2025 in Minneapolis. The 2025 national gathering, called Al Con, was held in the summer of 2025 in Bryce Canyon, Utah. To keep updated on AL’s virtual meeting schedule, we suggest you join the Astronomical League’s Facebook page, where they announce their “Global Star Parties.”
• The League also publishes helpful observing guides. Some are related to the observing programs, but they make excellent resources on their own. You can purchase them from the AL website (others are available gratis). And recently, the League has begun posting interesting observational materials every other day on its Facebook page. Useful material for personal use or for outreach!
• Finally, please check out the AL’s online Store, where members can purchase observing materials, books, and all sorts of neat AL swag.

We hope that your experience with the Astronomical League will be rich and rewarding. If you have questions or comments about the AL or its programs, please feel free to contact our MAS/Astronomical League liaison, Jack Fitzmier, by sending a message to madisonastro.info@gmail.com.