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.

June

8:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Open House

Looking for a FREE fun family activity? Join the Denver Astronomical Society for our monthly Open House Saturday night at dusk. This event will occur on the south lawn of DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory, 2930 E. Warren Avenue, Denver. Weather … Read More ...

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What’s Up in Denver? February 24th through March 2nd, 2025

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week. February 24: If you’re planning to to take part in the NASA/AL Hubble Night Sky Challenge, for either the February (Silver) or the entire year (Gold), this is the last week to complete your observations! February 25: NSN Webinar Series: JWST: Revealing the Invisible Universe with Joseph DePasquale – 7:00PM webinar (more info) Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General Meeting for DAS Members: 7:00 PM (more info). February 26: Dueling Winter Triangles – the asterism commonly known as the Winter Triangle is comprised of Sirius…
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Who was Charles Messier and How to Take Part in his Marathon

Who was Charles Messier? Charles Messier was a French astronomer who lived from 1730 to 1817. He was most active in the late 1700s and was known for his passion for hunting comets. During his time, comets were exciting discoveries, and Messier wanted to find as many as possible. He used a 100 mm refracting telescope to search the skies. What is the Messier Catalogue? While searching for comets, Messier often came across fuzzy objects that didn’t move across the sky like comets did. To help himself and other astronomers avoid confusion, he began documenting these objects. This list became…
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What’s Up in Denver? February 17th through 23rd, 2025

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week. February 17: Look for the waning gibbous Moon near Spica in Virgo low in the southeastern sky around midnight MST. February 18: Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General Meeting for DAS Members: 7:00 PM (more info). Moon at Apogee (furthest point from Earth at 404,881 kilometers):1:12 AM MST February 19: Although the “evening star” is in its crescent phase, late February is a great time to observe the Venus in the western skies after sunset with either binoculars or a telescope. If you’re using…
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What’s Up in Denver? February 10th through 16th, 2025

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week. February 10: Possible Northern Lights! NOAA is forecasting a chance of G1 class geomagnetic storms with a stream of solar wind expected to impact the Earth’s magnetic field. Keep up to date with the forecast on the NOAA Aurora Dashboard. Mars at northernmost declination (26.2°) at 11 AM. Mars appears furthest north from the celestial equator as viewed from Earth, essentially reaching its highest possible point in the northern sky due to its orbital inclination relative to Earth’s plane. DAS Annual Meeting with the results…
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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.