Upcoming Events
Event | Date | Details |
---|---|---|
RAS monthly meeting | Oct. 8 | 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. |
Astronomy Day at Crump Park | Oct. 12 | 4 PM-10 PM, We’re partnering with Henrico County and their Mountainfilm festival at Crump Park. Outdoor activities are from 4-6:30, with the film starting at 7 PM. We’ll also star gazing after dark. Contact president@richastro.org if you can help with a telescope. |
Saturday Under the Stars at Powhatan State Park | Oct. 12 | The next Saturday Under the Stars at Powhatan State Park will be Saturday, October 12, 7:00 PM: This is an RAS supported event and volunteer astronomers are needed and welcome. These events have been well-attended and we need plenty of astronomers. Observing will be at the Trailhead / Equestrian parking area. Volunteer astronomers are also welcome to continue to observe through the night after the public hours. Note that the $5 parking fee applies at all times; parking fees are waived on the day of the event for volunteer astronomers who are sharing their expertise or helping with the event. Please send a message to president@richastro.org if you can help. A map to the viewing location is at this link. |
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
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…
Read The Sky at Night Mag for Free-Update
This is an update to an earlier post about reading astronomy magazines for free. You may be aware that you can read books online from your local library, but you…