Astronomical League

The Astronomical League is an umbrella organization of amateur astronomy societies. Currently their membership consists of over 330 organizations across the United States, along with a number of Members-at-Large, Patrons, and Supporting members.

The mission of the Astronomical League is to promote the science of astronomy by (1) fostering astronomical education; (2) providing incentives for astronomical observation and research; and (3) assisting communication among amateur astronomical societies.

The Astronomical League provides a number of observing awards to members locating and describing certain specified astronomical objects or events, and produces a periodical publication, The Reflector.

History
The beginning of the Astronomical League dates back to 1939 when members of eleven amateur astronomical societies met at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Similar meetings followed in Pittsburgh, 1940, Washington D.C., 1941, and Detroit, 1946. During this process of formation, the naming of the organization evolved from the Amateur Astronomers League of America to the short-lived Amateur Astronomer's League. World War II delayed much of this early progress, but at the 1946 meeting, final plans laid the foundation for a permanent organization constituting a nationwide federation of societies.

The next convention took place in Philadelphia, July 4, 1947, where the federation came into being with the adoption of bylaws was adopted, the election of officers, and the name "Astronomical League" was selected. Shortly thereafter, the organization was incorporated as a non-profit organization.

In 2003, The Astronomical League achieved the long-sought goal of a permanent, National Office. This provided a central location for communications, file storage, and general operations. At the same time, the Astronomical League hired its first employee, an office manager. The National Office is located at 9201 Ward Parkway, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114.

Awards
Awards given by the league include the Leslie C. Peltier Award, the Jack Horkheimer Award, and the National Young Astronomer's Award.

Leslie C. Peltier Award
The Leslie C. Peltier Award is an annual award given by the Astronomical League to an amateur astronomer who has contributed observations of lasting significance. It was created in 1980 and was first awarded in 1981.

The award is named in honor of Leslie Peltier, an amateur astronomer from Delphos, Ohio, who was described by Harlow Shapley as "the world's greatest nonprofessional astronomer".

National Young Astronomer's Award
The National Young Astronomer Award is an award given by the Astronomical League to students of high-school age who have excelled in astronomical research.

Observing Programs
One of the most important programs of the Astronomical League is its Observing Programs, in which an individual follows a prescribed program and upon completion earns a certificate and often a lapel pin. The Astronomical League approved its first observing program called “Messier Club,” in 1966. The program challenged observers to locate and observe the deep sky objects listed in Charles Messier's catalog of objects. Observers of 70 Messier objects receive a certificate, while those observing the complete list of 110 receive a certificate and pin.

Fourteen years later, a second observing program was added for observing 400 of the objects in the Herschell list. By the year 2000, there were 15 observing programs, some of which had more than one level. In 2014, Mike Benson and Aaron Clevenson, were appointed as National Observing Program Directors supervising the work of each observing program's coordinators. In 2015 Cliff Mygatt was appointed as a Director. Mike Benson retired in 2016. By 2018, with 63 observing programs and almost as many program coordinators, others joined the team of National Observing Program Directors: iAl Lamperti and Maynard Pittendreigh. Marie Lott joined this team in 2020.

The Master Observer Progression Awards began in 2001, with the creation of the Master Observer Award, requiring the completion of five specific observing programs: Messier Observing Program, Binocular Messier Observing Program, Lunar Observing Program, Double Star Observing Program, and the Herschel 400 Observing Program, plus 5 observer-selected Observing Programs. Additional Master level programs were added in 2016. The Master Progression added an Observer Award, which was simpler than the original Master Observer Award, and added more complex and demanding levels of Advanced Observer, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Master Observer levels.

Past Presidents

 * 1) Harlow Shapley 	Interim (June-July 1947)
 * 2) Edward Halbach 	1947-48
 * 3) Helen Federer 	1948-49
 * 4) Charles H. LeRoy 	1949-51
 * 5) G. R. "Bob" Wright 	1951-52
 * 6) Rolland LaPelle 	1952-54
 * 7) James Karle 	1954-55
 * 8) Grace Scholz 	1955-57
 * 9) Russell C. Maag 	1957-58
 * 10) Chandler Holton 	1958-60
 * 11) Norm Dalke 	1960-62
 * 12) Ralph Dakin 	1962-64
 * 13) Arthur P. Smith, Jr. 	1964-66
 * 14) Gene Tandy 	1966-68
 * 15) William DuVall 	1968-70
 * 16) W. C. Shewmon 	1970-72
 * 17) G. R. "Bob" Wright 	1972-74
 * 18) Robert Fried 	1974-75
 * 19) Rollin P. VanZandt 	1975-77
 * 20) Robert Fried 	1977-78
 * 21) Robert Young 	1978-80
 * 22) Orville Brettman 	1980-82
 * 23) Jerry Sherlin 	1982-84
 * 24) George Ellis 	1984-86
 * 25) Jim Brown 	1986-88
 * 26) Ken Willcox 	1988-90
 * 27) James H. Fox 	1990-94
 * 28) Barry B. Beaman 	1994-98
 * 29) Charles E. Allen, III 1998-02
 * 30) Robert L Gent 	2002-06
 * 31) Terry Mann 	2006-10
 * 32) Carroll Iorg 	2010-14
 * 33) John J. Goss 	2014-2018
 * 34) William "Bill" Bogardus 2018 (died in office)
 * 35) Ron Kramer 2018-2020
 * 36) Carroll Iorg 	2020-