17 Sept. 2024
– A Full, Partially Eclipsed Harvest Moon
20 Sept. 2024
– Neptune Closest to Earth for the Year
22 Sept. 2024 – The Autumnal Equinox
Upcoming Public Star Gazes
Image credit: club member Jerry Sherman – taken at Grassland Mtn. Observatory
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.
20 Sep. 2024 — Friday night — This public star gaze will be held at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County, with a weather backup night of Saturday, 21 September. 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 7:29 p.m.
27 Sep. 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, 28 September. 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 7:18 p.m., with shuttle service beginning about 8:15 p.m.
4 Oct. 2024 — Friday night — This public star gaze will be held at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County, with a weather backup night of Saturday, 5 October. 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 7:08 p.m.
25 Oct. 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, 26 October. 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 6:41 p.m., with shuttle service beginning about 7:30 p.m.
3 October 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.
The Search for Intelligent Life in the Cosmos
– presented by Seth Shostak,
Senior Astronomer and Institute Fellow at the SETI Institute
It has been nearly 60 years since the first attempt to sift the skies for radio signals that would betray the existence of intelligent beings beyond Earth. So far, nothing has been heard. Why? Could it be that we simply need to give these experiments more time to examine additional star systems? Or should we put more emphasis on other strategies? Read more…