Welcome to the Southern Maryland Astronomical Society (SMAS) web site. SMAS is a group of amateur astronomers that meets at the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center (NCEEC) to observe twice a month, weather permitting. Our observatory is located at NCEEC, located in southern Maryland, about 40 miles south of the nation's capital. NCEEC is a gated facility used by both the Charles County School District and SMAS.

In May 1998, a group of dedicated members assembled a team and built the 16 foot diameter Nanjemoy Creek Observatory (NCO) that now houses our Celestron CGE 1400 Schmidt-Cassegrain 14 inch telescope, with an Astro Physics AP900 mount. The site has fairly dark skies, considering its location. Most of our members bring their own scopes and wander into the observatory to compare views, but some nights, they show up just to use the observatory. Club members range from novices to advanced amateurs having over 50 years of experience. Several members have home observatories.

Walter Rison, President

SMAS is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) organization. Donations and membership dues constitute the funding it receives. For membership dues information, please visit the JOIN US page. Donations and membership dues may be mailed to Southern Maryland Astronomical Society, P.O. Box 373, Marbury, MD 20658 or submitted via PayPal by clicking the "Pay Dues or Donate" button below: