The purpose of the Society is to secure the pleasure and benefits of an association of persons interested in amateur astronomy; to promote the science of astronomy; to encourage and promote activities of an astronomical nature; to foster observational and computational work, as well as craftsmanship in various fields of astronomy; to correlate amateur activities with other amateurs and professionals; and to educate the public.

The Des Moines Astronomical Society Inc. was founded in 1970 as a means to foster interest and education about astronomy.
Our membership is very diverse. Individuals may view the sky for its beauty, while others, through membership in various organizations, participate in research projects.
DMAS is a non-profit group dedicated to educating the general public through several programs in the areas of astronomy and astrophysics.
The club observatory at Ashton-Wildwood Park in Jasper County, has two permanently mounted telescopes and a classroom to facilitate a public night schedule and private viewing functions.

As a non-profit organization, the club's primary function is to share the cosmos with as many people as possible.
Between the months of April and October, the DMAS offers several public-nights presenting lectures and viewing of the night sky.
The public-nights include both guest speakers and club members presenting topics such as: How to View the Night Sky, Comets and Meteors, Galaxies and Star Clusters, UFO's, and much more.
Public-night times are posted at the observatory and announced in local media outlets throughout central Iowa. Private telescope viewing can be arranged through club members for private organizations, church groups, scout troops, and school field-trips. Please contact us at info@dmasonline.org to schedule your private group today!

As the world begins the 21st century, technology will be a key ingredient to any astronomical undertaking. DMAS is preparing for this future with several electronic instruments to aid in viewing and researching the cosmos.
In late 1993, the Jasper County Conservation Board donated a thermo-electrically cooled CCD camera for capturing deep-sky images in a fraction of the time of a standard photograph. Unfortunately this piece of equipment was stolen along with several other items on July 21, 1996. We were able to replace this instrument in October of 1996 with a Video Research Grade Imaging Camera to enhance our commitment to share the night sky with the community. In 1998 the society replaced the old silo top domes with state-of-the-art motorized domes from Ash Manufacturing. In 2000 telescope upgrades included a new mirror for the 16" Newtonian, a new 12.5-inch Ritchey-Chretien CAT telescope for the east dome, and a 7" Maksutov telescope for solar observing. In 2002 the observatory, along with Jasper County Conservation Board constructed a 30' x 30' classroom connected to the original observatory facility. The observatory now has air conditioning and year-round heating!
The club maintains a computer system capable of displaying planetarium type programs, solar system models, and telescope controlled image processing. To assist with visuals during lectures the observatory houses a TV/VCR, slide projector, and hopefully in the near future, a video projector.
The existence of this website establishes The Des Moines Astronomical Society as a world participant in amateur astronomy's pursuit to share with the people of the world our wonderful universal home...the cosmos.