THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY (AAS), ESTABLISHED IN 1899, IS THE MAJOR ORGANIZATION OF PROFESSIONAL ASTRONOMERS IN NORTH AMERICA. THE BASIC OBJECTIVE OF THE AAS IS TO PROMOTE THE ADVANCEMENT OF ASTRONOMY AND CLOSELY RELATED BRANCHES OF SCIENCE THE MEMBERSHIP (APPROXIMATELY 7,000) ALSO INCLUDES PHYSICISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, GEOLOGISTS, ENGINEERS AND OTHERS WHOSE RESEARCH INTERESTS LIE WITHIN THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF SUBJECTS NOW COMPRISING CONTEMPORARY ASTRONOMY.