CAS Membership types explained

CAS offers two types of memberships with several levels within each.

Standard Memberships - which include Individual, Family, Student, and Junior level memberships
Associate Memberships - which include Individual and Family level memberships

Standard and Associate Memberships are based on the applicant’s geographical primary residence location. Those who live within our Core Membership Region as defined at the bottom of this page (and on the prior page), are eligible to hold a Standard Membership. For those living outside the Core Membership Region, we offer Associate Memberships.

Both types of memberships enjoy all the same privileges, such as access to all our facilities, including our headquarters building near Cleves Ohio, and our two dark sky sites for overnight observing, located in Adams County, Ohio and Bracken County, Kentucky. Both types of memberships are eligible to attend all our members events including our monthly Members Meeting*, Summer Picnic, and our Holidays Party and any other such social events. All members also are entitled to be trained on all our observatories** in order to qualify for their use whenever a member wishes (as long as there is no other formal event scheduled at that time).

The only differences between the two membership types is that only Standard Memberships are able to run for seats on the CAS Board of Trustees, or vote in the elections of that Board. Associate Members do not vote for or hold seats on the CAS Board of Trustees.

Other than those two exceptions, the membership types are identical.

* We do not typically offer online streaming of our members meetings

** Please read the process and prerequisites of training on our observatories HERE