Sharing the Night Sky with the Public Since 1949

For over seventy-five years, the Denver Astronomical Society has brought together stargazers across the Denver metropolitan area and beyond. The society hosts dozens of events and activities yearly to promote amateur astronomy across our unique region, one mile nearer the stars.

November

5:15 pm - 9:15 pm

Open House- Neptune! Saturn! Uranus!

Looking for a FREE fun family activity? Join the Denver Astronomical Society for our monthly Open House on Saturday, Nov 14th, at dusk. This event will take place on the south lawn of DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory, located at 2930 E. … Read More ...

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Old Snowmass Earns International Dark Sky Community Certification

Colorado’s list of places protecting the night sky continues to grow. The rural community of Old Snowmass has officially been designated an International Dark Sky Community by DarkSky International, recognizing years of local work to reduce light pollution and preserve the natural beauty of the night. Located in the Roaring Fork Valley between Aspen and Basalt, Old Snowmass is known for its wide open landscapes, ranching heritage, and expansive mountain views. Now it is also known as one of Colorado’s newest places committed to protecting the starry skies above. What Is a Dark Sky Community? The International Dark Sky Places…
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Zodiacal Light Season is Here

What is Zodiacal Light? Zodiacal light is a faint, glowing band of light that stretches across the night sky. It looks like a soft triangle of light rising up from the horizon. This glow appears along the path the Sun travels through the sky, called the ecliptic. The light doesn’t come from stars. Instead, it comes from sunlight reflecting off tiny dust particles floating in space throughout our solar system. These particles are about the size of cigarette smoke and come from things like comets shedding material and collisions between asteroids. Because this dust lies in the same flat plane…
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What’s Up in Denver? March 9th through 15th, 2026

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week. March 9: 🔭 Catch the Great Red Spot of Jupiter transiting the surface of the gas giant from the perspective of Earth high in the southwestern sky in the constellation Gemini from 10:15 PM until 2:10 AM. March 10: 👀 Look for the waning gibbous Worm Moon near Antares, the heart of the scorpion in the constellation Scorpius low in the eastern sky around 3:15 AM 🌖 The waning gibbous Worm Moon reaches apogee, its farthest distance from Earth at 404,384km: 7:00 AM 🪐 Jupiter…
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Charles Messier and the Messier Marathon

Who Was Charles Messier? Charles Messier was a French astronomer who lived from 1730 to 1817. Working in Paris during the late 1700s, Messier was passionate about discovering comets. In an era when comet discoveries brought great scientific prestige, he spent countless nights scanning the skies with a 100 mm refracting telescope. While searching for comets, Messier repeatedly encountered faint, fuzzy objects that looked similar to comets but did not move across the sky. To avoid confusing these objects with real comet discoveries, he began recording their positions. That list eventually became one of the most famous catalogs in astronomy.…
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Chamberlin Observatory Tours

The Denver Astronomical Society hosts weekly and monthly events* at the University of Denver’s historic Chamberlin Observatory, which features its prized 1894 Alvan Clark-Saegmuller 20-inch refracting telescope. The Observatory serves as the DAS home base for numerous Astronomy Nights, Open Houses, and special events throughout the year.

Due to overwhelming demand, we are changing how we reserve our Astronomy Nights and adding more to the calendar. For details, see our Reservations page.

If you have any questions about EXISTING reservations or want to change your existing reservation, email us at reservations@denverastro.org.

M•45 – Pleiades, Seven Sisters, Subaru image by Darrell Dodge

Astrophotography Special Interest Group

The Denver Astronomical Society (DAS) has established a Special Interest Group amongst its members devoted to Astrophotography. Do you want to learn or improve your skills in astrophotography? Do you enjoy viewing pictures of the Sun, Moon, Planets, or Deep Sky Objects? Can you take similar images? You may have skills that you could pass on to novice members. Consider joining DAS and being part of this Special Interest Group. Please email us for more information. astrophotogroup@denverastro.org

The Van Nattan-Hansen-Anderson Scholarship

Established in 1973, the DAS Van Nattan-Hansen-Anderson Scholarship supports graduating high school and undergraduate college students majoring in astronomy and the physical sciences. Interested and eligible students are invited to apply for funding on the Scholarship Page.