“Hello” from the members of the Naperville Astronomical Association (or “NAA”, as we call it)! Our club was founded in 1973 in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, and in the decades since, had grown to a membership of well over 200 people, most from the Northeast Illinois “Chicagoland” area.

The NAA’s mission is to share astronomy, in all of its aspects; from the cutting-edge science, to its history, to the workings of the instruments that astronomers use, and, of course, through the many forms of stargazing out under the heavens. Our monthly meetings always feature a program of some sort on an astronomy-related topic; these are often presented by visiting scientists and lecturers. Our monthly Astronomy Fundamentals presentations are given by members, and are focused on giving introductory information on specific topics of interest to amateurs.

Our programs are almost always open to the public, free of charge. We host free Public Nights at our Astronomy Education Center all year ‘round. And, we also bring our portable telescopes to share our stargazing with people at parks and events. See our Calendar for upcoming activities, and the Maps page for directions. Our Contact Us page has information on arranging astronomy sessions for schools and youth and community groups.

For members, we have a monthly newsletter called The Focal Plane. We have a lending library of over 500 titles, many of which won’t be available at most public libraries. We have “dark sites”; parcels of land more distant from the bright night skies of Chicagoland than our Astronomy Education Center; they are available for members to use on any night. And we gather for observing sessions that are members-only; both at our AEC and at the dark sites and elsewhere. Members can also train on the operation of either club observatory, and earn the ability to use them independently, on any night that the club doesn’t have an activity scheduled there.

The NAA was founded by high school students, and in the five decades since it has opened up as a public organization, has always strived to remain a welcoming, encouraging place for people, of any age, who are new to our hobby. We also offer a place for seasoned stargazers, and even professional astronomers, to share their enthusiasm with others who “have their heads in the stars”.