On the evening of October 21, 2025, skywatchers are in for a rare celestial treat: not one but two comets—C/2025 R2 (SWAN) and C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)—will be bright enough to spot with the naked eye. To make the night even more special, it also falls on the new moon, meaning the sky will be as dark as it gets, free of interfering moonlight.… Continue reading.
October is one of the best months of the year to catch a meteor shower. This year, skywatchers get a bonus: two meteor showers active at the same time. The famous Orionids will peak in late October, and the slower but often brighter Southern Taurids will also be putting on a show.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
October 13 (Indigenous People’s Day): Catch the 3rd quarter Hunter’s Moon with the twin stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini in the early morning eastern sky.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
October 6: Full Hunter’s/Harvest Moon: 9:47 PM October 7: Look for Jupiter occulting the Twinkling Comet Cluster in the low eastern skies in Gemini – The “Twinkling Comet Cluster” (NGC 2420) is a rich open cluster often described as a ghostly glow that fans out like a comet’s tail before resolving into stars: 1:00 AM October 8: The waxing gibbous Hunter’s Moon reaches perigee (it’s closest distance to Earth at distance 359,819km) at 6:50 AM.… Continue reading.
Last month, we discussed the Hubble’s Night Sky Observing Challenge and the September targets announced by the Astronomical League and NASA to celebrate 35 Years of the Hubble Space Telescope. These organizations have announced a new set of targets for the month of October.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
September 29: Denver Astronomical Society E-Board Meeting: Virtual via Zoom (check membership email or Slack for details): 7:00 PM First Quarter Hunter’s Moon: 5:54 PM September 30: Look for the waxing gibbous Hunter’s Moon next to the Summer Rose Star globular cluster (M51) in the constellation Sagittarius low in the southwest: 10:00 PM October 1: Catch the waxing gibbous Hunter’s Moon next to the M 75 globular cluster in the constellation Capricornus in the southern sky: 10:00 PM DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General & Beginner Meeting: Virtual on Zoom (Check membership email or Slack): 7:00 PM October 2: Standley Lake Stargazing Virtual Program “October Highlights – News and Observing”: Zoom Virtual Meeting: 6:00 PM Venus at Perihelion, when the morning star reaches the closest point in its slightly elliptical orbit around the Sun, about 107.5 million kilometers (66.7 million miles) away, where it travels faster due to the Sun’s stronger gravitational pull, marking a key point in its orbital cycle.:… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
September 22 (Autumnal Equinox): Astronomy on Tap – Boulder with Dr. KaChun Yu, Dr. Jane Bright, Dr. John Keller, and Marcel Corchado: Rayback Collective: 6:00 PM September equinox is the time when the Sun reaches the point along the ecliptic where it crosses into the southern celestial hemisphere marking the start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere: 12:19 PM September 23: Look for the waxing crescent Harvest Moon near Spica in the constellation Virgo low in the western sky – catch them before they set: 7:15 PM September 24: Catch the waxing crescent Harvest Moon near Mars low in the western sky in the constellation Virgo – catch them before they set: 7:30 PM 60 Minutes in Space Free Lecture: Denver Museum of Nature & Science: 7:00 PM September 25: Find the morning star, Venus within 3 degrees of the Leo I Galaxy Group, including M95, M96, and M105 low in the eastern sky in the constellation Leo until sunrise: 5:00 AM Standley Lake Stargazing Virtual Program: “Headlines and Highlights”: Zoom Virtual Meeting: 6:00 PM September 26: The Harvest Moon reaches apogee (it’s farthest from Earth at 405,548km): 4:00 AM September 27 (Astronomy Day): Look for the waxing crescent Harvest Moon near Antares, the red heart of the scorpion, low in the southwestern sky in Scorpius: 8:00 PM Denver Astronomical Society Open House: Saturn!… Continue reading.
Each year, the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS) awards the Van Nattan-Hansen-Anderson Scholarship to support promising students in astronomy, astrophysics, and related sciences. We are proud to introduce this year’s recipients, each of whom is pursuing their passion for the universe in unique and inspiring ways.… Continue reading.
William Henry Pickering (1858–1938) was an American astronomer celebrated for his careful studies of the Moon, planets, and comets. He earned his early training at Harvard and later became a professor of astronomy at MIT, where he taught and conducted research for many years.… Continue reading.
Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
September 15: Find the waning crescent Corn Moon near the Shoe-Buckle Cluster (M35), an open star cluster in Gemini in the eastern sky: 2:00 AM September 16: Look for the waning crescent Corn Moon near Jupiter, Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini in the eastern sky: 2:00 AM NASA Night Sky Network Webinar Series: Secrets of the Sun: Developing New Ways to Observe Our Closest Star with Becca Robinson: Youtube Livestream: 7:00 PM September 17: Catch the waning crescent Corn Moon near the Beehive Cluster (M44), an open star cluster in the constellation Cancer in the eastern sky: 3:45 AM Space Telescope Science Institue: Alien Skies: Exploring Distant Exoplanet Atmospheres with Webb: Livestream via Youtube: 5:00 PM DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) Advanced Image Processing: Virtual meeting via Zoom (check your email or Slack): 7:00 PM September 18: World Migratory Bird Day – Dark Skies and Birds: Virtual program via Zoom (registration required): 12:00 PM Standley Lake Stargazing Virtual Program: Zoom Virtual Meeting: 6:00 PM September 19 (Dark Sky Weekend): Conjunction of the waning crescent Corn Moon, Venus and Regulus in the eastern sky in Leo: 5:00 AM Colorado Springs Astronomical Society’s September Skies Star Stare begins – through September 21st: Starry Meadows, Gardner, CO (registration required) Okie-Tex Star Party begins – through September 27th: Camp Billy Joe, Kenton, OK (registration required) Standley Lake Stargazing Star Party: Coalton Trailhead, Superior, CO (registration required) September 20 (Dark Sky Weekend): Moon at Descending Node: 5:13 PM September 21 (Dark Sky Weekend): Look for Saturn and Neptune at opposition, positioning the earth between the sun and these two far away planets makes them appear extremely bright in the night sky.… Continue reading.