19 March 2024 – The Vernal Equinox
March 2024
– Catch the Elusive Zodiacal Light
March 2024
– Locate Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
Image courtesy of
Dan Bartlett
Upcoming Public Star Gazes
Continue to check this home page as weather could change the venue or postpone and possibly cancel a star gaze. Check again after 5:00 p.m. on the afternoon of the observing session for the latest info and update.
29 Mar. 2024 — Friday night — The location for this star gaze will be Lookout Observatory on the UNC Asheville campus, with a weather backup date of Saturday, 30 March. While the event is free and open to everyone, pre-registration is required to attend. To learn more about how to register, please visit the UNCA Lookout Observatory website here. Sunset occurs at 7:49 p.m., with shuttle service beginning about 8:30 p.m.
5 Apr. 2024 — Friday night — This public star gaze will be held at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County, with a weather backup night of Saturday, 6 April. This event is free and open to everyone — registration is not necessary to attend. A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be provided here on the day of the star gaze by 5:00 p.m. Directions to Grassland Mountain Observatory can be found here. These star gazes normally conclude about 3 hours after sunset, and visitors are not permitted to stay past the conclusion time. Sunset occurs at 7:55 p.m.
4 April 2024 – Club Meeting Presentation
— Thursday night, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
This free speaker presentation will be offered in-person at the UNC-Asheville Reuter Center and virtually online. Registration is not required; use this Zoom link to watch the presentation remotely.
Meteorites
– presented by
Timothy DeLisle,
Director of Software Engineering at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
Meteorites of many sizes and compositions fall to Earth every day. Some come from the asteroid belt or are debris left over from passing comets. Others come from even more distant and stranger places. They all help us learn about the history and composition of the solar system. Our guest speaker will share his knowledge of these extraterrestrial rocks and also display some of the meteorites from the PARI collection.
8 April 2024
– The Great
North American
Solar Eclipse, and
How/Where To
View It Locally
Image created with SkySafari software