The RASO Community Committment

RASO members are those who subscribe to the Remote Astronomical Society Observatory with the purpose of contributing to astronomical research by collecting data and submitting those data to an appropriate venue.

RASO members are free to pick their research projects, form research groups and collect their data and publish or submit their data without constraints imposed by other members or the Observatory community or by RASO itself.

RASO members are expected to make their research available to the astronomical community using an appropriate venue to compensate for the lower research rates offered by RASO.

RASO will assist all new members in defining a research project if they do not have one and assumes that experienced members have no need of help from RASO in their research affairs.

RASO members who publish and state their primary research affiliation as RAS Observatory will be acknowledged by publishing member accomplishments at the RASO WWW site. This step will be taken to acknowledge that RASO receives value added from the publicity it receives and RASO believes that this will stimulate new membership as others see the advantages of remote astronomical research.

RASO also acknowledges that all work and no play hardly make for a healthy amateur astronomer. Thus, RASO expects that members will engage in non-research astrophotography at their pleasure so long as some research is accomplished.

RASO realizes that those new to remote astronomy and research will not immediately engage in a research project. Rather, they may spend several months learning to use the equipment and investigating possible research projects. A reasonable expectation is that each member has a research project within the first year of joining RASO and RASO will work with new observers to define projects that are within the member’s capabilities, resources and interests.

There are certain things that RASO will not provide. Members are expected pick their own research communities. News, events and research opportunities posted by these organizations will not be posted on the RASO WWW site, as members are expected to integrate themselves into the larger community and such a move would simply duplicate information readily available on the WWW.

© RAS Observatory