Talk topic: “Mars! — The Red planet in fact, lore and fiction”.  Every 26 months, Earth catches up to Mars.  Last month Earth and Mars were at the closest in several years with Mars only about 45 million miles away (only 45 million!).  We’ll discuss ancient beliefs, the fascination of Mars in popular culture, and […]

Our Magnetic Sun:  It hovers in space, 93 million miles from Earth, gently shepherding its retinue of planets along, and bathing us in gentle sunshine, doing nothing more dramatic than giving the unwary a sunburn and occasionally putting on a pretty light show… No!  The Sun is really a gigantic ball of seething, boiling gas, […]

Talk topic: Saturn – The real Lord of the Rings!  As Neil deGrasse Tyson has noted, “Saturn is gorgeous!”  He’s right; Saturn is also fascinating: amazing weather, more than 60 moons – some unique – and of course, the rings.  This year the rings are highly visible – the best views in a decade.  We’ll […]

Astro-Imaging: Exploring the Wonder of the Night Sky with Joe Dougherty Ever wonder how the images of the Milky Way, nebulae or distant galaxies that we see in magazines, television, or posters are captured?  You might be surprised to learn that it is not as simple as taking a camera out to the back yard […]

Talk topic: No talk this month, stargazing only, weather permitting.  Free; open to the public.  Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.  Dress warmly, as even in the summer it may be chilly.