Upcoming Events
| Event | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| SMV Skywatch | Oct. 25 | Held on the front lawn of the Science Museum, 2500 W Broad, Richmond. Start time is around 5 pm. |
| James River Star Party | Nov. 1-2 | James River State park has some of the darkest skies in central Virginia and is hosting astronomers on November 1 and 2. There is no charge to participate in this star party as an astronomer – please pre-register by sending an e-mail to president@richastro.org with your contact information and what type of vehicle you plan to bring. Astronomers are welcome to camp with their observing equipment and there will be a food truck onsite each night. Members of the public are invited to attend the star party during the early evening hours on both nights of the event, speak with the participating astronomers, and have a look through their telescopes or learn about astrophotography. Here is a link to a map of the observing field location. |
| RAS monthly meeting | Nov. 12 | Our monthly meeting will be held at the Science Museum of Virginia (in the Thalhimer Theater) and online at 7:30 pm. We will open the video conference at 7:00 PM at this link for people to chat, if they like, and keep it open after the meeting. Please join us if you can. |
You can find a full list of venues on the Venue Page
Searching for Information About the Sky?
What’s in the Sky Tonight?
Facing South and looking almost straight overhead, you’ll see two bright stars. The one to the right is Arcturus, and the one to the left is Vega. To the left of Vega, you’ll…
Telescope Buying Guide
Do you want to buy a telescope, but don’t know where to start? You might consider using a pair of binoculars first, to become acquainted with the night sky. You…
Schedule a Skywatch
Are you a teacher? Scout Leader? We offer skywatch sessions, free of charge, for any educational purpose. We’ll bring one or more telescopes, depending on the size of the crowd….
Future and Past RAS Events
First Astronomy Day at Crump Park
RAS decided to try something different this year, and partner with Henrico County for Astronomy Day. While the crowd was not great, everything else worked out very well, and we…
St. Francis Skywatch
This was a small group, and the sky adjacent to the building was extremely limited. Luckily the Moon was visible from the sidewalk right outside the front entrance. There were…
Trinity Telescope Night
The stars aligned for our 7th annual event at Trinity Episcopal High School. We had a large turnout of enthusiastic science students, hot dogs, five telescopes, and a beautiful sky….
STEAM Night at Woolridge
We set up two telescopes for this event, since it took place during the day. One with the Coronado (for the Sun) and one fixed on the license plate of…
Mobbed at Eclipse 2024
Several RAS members helped out at the Science Museum yesterday for the Solar Eclipse of 2024, and what a day it was. One of the TV stations estimated 1,000 to…
RAS “wins” at STEM Fair 2024
Hooray, we had another STEM Fair, revived from our Covid gap in 2020-2022. The Fair has been picked up by the VCU STEM Education Department, and they successfully pulled off…
Powhatan State Park, January 2024
60 people joined us for this skywatch at the park, which is about 35 miles west of downtown Richmond. The park rangers here are very friendly to our club, and…
Take Your Own Picture of the Moon
Would you like to take your own picture of the Moon? Come to one of the SMV skywatches, and if the Moon is up, you’ll likely get one. This picture…
Apollo Lands at The Virginia House
RAS helped the Virginia Museum of History & Culture host a skywatch for one of their annual member events. The event’s theme was based on the museum’s current exhibit: Apollo:…
Richmond STEM Fair 2023
Yes, the STEM Fair has been revived. After three years of COVID shutdowns, VCU’s School of Education Center for Innovation in STEM Education has stepped up and hosted the temprarily…
Invited, but Ignored
We made it successful, in spite of an oversight. RAS was invited to Oak Knoll Middle School’s StemFest. We’ve attended this event a couple of times, but hadn’t it a…
Parade of Planets
We saw a beautiful parade of Jupiter, the Moon, and Saturn last night at the Robious Middle School skywatch. About 50 students and parents gathered on the football field, where…