Gruppo Astrofili William Herschel
Torino - Italia
The Gruppo Astrofili William Herschel (GAWH - William Herschel Astronomical
Society) was founded in 1981, and currently numbers some 40 members. The Society is the Territorial Representative
for Torino of the Unione Astrofili Italiani (UAI - Association of Italian Amateur Astronomers), and also has the
responsibility for its deep sky section. The former activity mainly involves the local organisation of events promoted
nationally by the UAI - for example the GAWH runs an annual astronomy course for science teachers whose curriculum
has been agreed at a national level by the UAI. The responsibility for the deep sky section, on the other hand,
involves collecting and collating observations contributed by UAI members, organising an annual star party at the
Rifugio Balma (Province of Cuneo), and generally providing support for this kind of observation to members of the
UAI.
Most members of the Society are actively involved in observing, with interests ranging from CCD imaging and CCD
astrometry of asteroids to photometry of variable stars and co-ordinated planetary observations (a member of the
society is responsible for the Mars section of the UAI). In addition, co-ordinated studies of variables stars have
been carried out, and the solar sun spot cycle has been monitored for the last twenty years. Finally, the observation
of deep sky objects, especially those less well known or those at the limit of the capabilities of one's telescope,
is, of course, an activity shared by many.
Every year the Society organises a series of public lectures on a wide range of topics, sometimes taking the form
of courses under the auspices of the UAI, but usually independently. In addition we collaborate with local councils
and associations for the organisation of public lectures or observing sessions (for example, on occasion of eclipses
or during the apparition of comets).
Since 1996 the Society has collaborated with the Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, helping to renovate the Morais
refractor, a 42cm instrument (the largest of its class in Italy) used in the past for astrometrical observations.
The members of the Society now have independent access to this instrument and the projects to be undertaken in
the near future are currently being defined.
Finally, the Society collaborates with various Italian astronomy magazines, such as Coelum and Nuovo Orione, with
two of our members regularly writing for the former. In addition, as the co-ordinators of the deep sky section,
the Society also contributes to Astronomia UAI, the periodical published by the UAI.
Piero Bradley - GAWH
