Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2020

MARCH-APRIL 2020 Where before there were several cars loaded with telescopes, tables, batteries, etc., now there is only one to take everything, and the merri- ment enjoyed at each observing outing has significantly decreased. Among the possible causes, we have mentioned the severe eco- nomic crisis suffered by Spain, from which we have not yet fully recov- Since 2007, probably due to the eco- nomic crisis that has particularly af- fected Spain, the entry of new members has slowed down and only slightly recovered in the last year. The active participation of the mem- bers has, however, decreased a lot. What about the future? A spect of the stand of the Agru- pación Astronómica de la Safor during the celebration of Science and Climate Change Week (SECICA). ered, but it is likely that there are other factors, such as the following. The first is the natural change we are experiencing due to the evolu- tion of personal life, since the for- mer students are now cur- rent workers, many with chil- dren dependent on them and therefore with less time to devote to the association. On the other hand, the of- fering of astronomical stuff is today abundant, of excel- lent quality, with much higher performances and much lower prices when compared with those of a few years ago. In past times, every amateur astronomer would have to belong to an association if he wanted to T he visit of the Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque to the stand of the Agru- pación Astronómica de la Safor during SECICA 2008.