The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to to education and enjoyment of the night sky. Established in 1982, the GTAS has about 50 members from the Grand Traverse area. Meetings are held on the first Friday of every month beginning at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College's Joseph H. Rogers Observatory , though one of the summer meetings may be preempted by the annual picnic at another location. Topics of discussion range from current sky happenings to latest discoveries and theories.
Guests are always welcome.
Over 750 attended the society sponsored Comet Hyakutake Watches March 23, and 24th, 1996. The farthest traveller came from Detroit to enjoy the dark skies and the spectacular comet through many telescopes. Comet Hale-Bopp attracted approximately 1,400 during the three scheduled viewing nights that were clear. GTAS members Jerry Dobek and Judy Wieske took a spectacular photograph of Comet Hyakutake with the Rogers Observatory's Schmidt camera, and can be viewed from the Rogers Observatory Web page . The GTAS belongs to the International Dark-Sky Association .