Are you curious about the Warren Rupp Observatory and the members of the Richland Astronomical Society? If you haven’t come for a visit yet, you’ll find us a widely diverse group of individuals of all ages and personality types. The one thing we all share in common is our love of astronomy. Here you will find folks of all genders and ages – from all professions and walks of life. We try our best to be a family and to treat our guests as family, too.
We are a nonprofit organization formed in 1960 to promote the advancement of amateur astronomy. Our membership is as diverse as our hobby. We have teachers, doctors, computer nerds, law enforcement, salespersons, chemists, publishers, computer programmers, building contractors, appliance repairmen, electricians, photographers, factory workers, professional authors, nurses and just about any profession and non-profession you can think of.
Current Club Officers and Board Members
- Mark Vanderaar – President
- Dan Wade – Vice President
- Pat Everly – Treasurer
- Rich Krahling – Secretary/Board Member
- Michael Mlay – Board Chairman
- John Knapp – Board Member
- Mike Romine – Board Member
- Bruce Scodova – Observatory Director/Board Member
- Michael Sweazy – Board Member
- Jason Wallace – Board Member
- Deloris Mlay – Outreach Coordinator
- Eric Heintz – Assistant Observatory Director
If you’d like to request a program Click here to fill out a our Request From via NASA’s Night Sky Network. For other inquiries, feel free to contact us at contact@wro.org
Our mailing address is
Richland Astronomical Society
PO Box 700, Bellville, Ohio 44813
How to Join
If you are interested in joining our group (Yay!), you can either show up at one of our meetings or events or fill out the this online form. After submitting the form, we will get back with you promptly. Do not pay annual dues until you hear back from us!
Annual Membership Fees are $25 Student, $50 Individual, and $75 Family. They are due by January 31.
Can be paid by Cash or Check payable to R.A.S.
They can also be paid using Paypal with the “donate” button below
Astrophotography Gallery
Observational Astronomy
Many of our members are drawn to Amateur Astronomy to view and observe the many wonders of the universe. Moon, planets, comets, galaxies and nebula are favorites to those who want to use a telescope. The club has a wide variety of telescopes for use by members. To help you become a more skilled observational observer, this link ( Observing Resources ) will help you in getting started. It is full of valuable information and resources that even seasoned observers will find helpful. Achieve your observational goals now and get a telescope out under the stars!
Member Pages
Some of our members have their own web pages. These pages detailed observations, musings, and some wonderful astrophotos.
