While the specific origins of our society have been lost to the mists of time we do know that during WWII, our membership dwindled to just a handful.
By 1958, our numbers had recovered somewhat, and on the heels of the "Revenue Act of 1954" we became The St Louis Astronomical Society, Incorporated, and we re-organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.During the mid-1980's, when comet Halley made it's most recent appearance, our membership rose to all-time records, numbering something above 300.
Since that time, we've held a firm commitment to "public outreach" and much of our work has been focused on making the night sky available to schools and scouting groups, as well as to the general public outright. See our events calendar for current "star parties" that you might like to attend.
Throughout our history, we've maintained a "generalist" stance toward the hobby of amateur astronomy. At various times, some of our members have formed "specialty" groups, focusing on astrophotography, or variable-star observing, and even discovering new asteroids. SLAS has had an influence on most astronomy clubs in the region; we're the oldest group in the St Louis metropolitan area, and the second largest club in Missouri.