14 Aug. 2022
– Saturn Leads the Parade of Planets Returning to our Evening Skies
17-18 Aug. 2022
– Venus Visits the Beehive Star Cluster at Dawn
Illustration created using SkySafari and PowerPoint software
Two Public Star Gazes for August
Image credit: club member Jerry Sherman – taken at Grassland Mtn. Obs.
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.
19 Aug 2022 — Friday night — This public star gaze will be held at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County, with a weather backup night of Saturday, 20 August. This event is free and open to everyone — registration is not necessary to attend. A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be provided on the day of the star gaze by 5:00 p.m. Directions to Grassland Mountain Observatory can be found here. Sunset occurs at 8:14 p.m.
26 Aug 2022 — Friday night — The location for this star gaze will be Lookout Observatory on the UNC Asheville campus, with a weather backup date of Saturday, 27 August. 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 8:05 p.m., with shuttle service beginning about 8:45 p.m.
1 Sept. 2022 – 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.
The First Science with the James Webb Space Telescope
– presented by
David Wake, Ph.D.,
UNC-Asheville
NASA and ESA’s latest flagship space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), began science operations at the start of July 2022. This long awaited observatory has proven to perform even better than expected, and it is set to transform our understanding of many aspects of the Universe, from our own solar system, to life on other planets, and the origins of the first galaxies. Read more…
