The Memphis Astronomical Society, or M.A.S., is a public service organization which promotes understanding of the science of astronomy through free public lectures and demonstrations. Members are seldom professional astronomers. We work in many different occupations, some in the sciences, but most in other fields. We are amateurs in the basic sense of the word: we study astronomy because we love it. We seek to learn more about it through reading, conversation with other astronomers, professional as well as amateur, and especially through direct observation of celestial objects.