Astronomy

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.

Who Was William Henry Pickering?

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.

The Town of Breckenridge has officially become a Certified Dark Sky Community, recognized by DarkSky International for its commitment to reducing light pollution and protecting the night sky. This makes Breckenridge the first mountain ski resort community in Colorado to earn this distinction, adding to its long history of environmental stewardship.… Continue reading.

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

September 8: DAS General Meeting: The Splendor of T Corona Borealis by Dr. Jordi Casanova: Secular Hub or livestream via Zoom (check your membership email for details): 7:00 PM Catch the waning gibbous Corn Moon near Saturn September 9: As the nights get longer and autumn approaches, look for the Great Square asterism in the constellation Pegasus.… Continue reading.

Last month, we discussed the Hubble’s Night Sky Observing Challenge and the August 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 September.… Continue reading.

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

September 1 (Labor Day): Catch the Morning Star Venus next to M44, the Beehive Cluster in the early morning sky in the constellation Cancer: 4:30 AM September 2:

 

Look for the waxing gibbous Corn Moon in the handle of the Teapot asterism low in the southern sky in the constellation Sagittarius: 9:00 PM DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) General & Beginner Meeting: Zoom Virtual Meeting (check membership email or Slack for Details): 7:00 PM September 3: Look for the ice giant planet, Uranus to snuggle up with M45, the Pleiades in the late eastern skies in Taurus: 1:00 AM September 4: Look for the moon Titan to cast a Transit Shadow on Saturn: These seasons of shadow transits are rare, only occurring every 15 years or so.… Continue reading.

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

August 25: Astronomy on Tap – Boulder: Rayback Collective, 2775 Valmont Rd, Boulder, CO 80304: 6:00 PM DAS E-Board Meeting: Zoom (look for the link in your membership email): 7:00 PM August 26: Look for the waxing crescent Corn Moon between Mars and Spica in Virgo just after sunset: 8:30 PM August 27: Look for a preview of the winter sky just before dawn — catch Orion, Taurus, Gemini, Lepus, Canis Major and Minor, and other winter constellations along with some bright planets in the early morning sky to the east: 5:00 AM August 28: Standley Lake Stargazing: One Giant Leap: The Lunar Voyage of Apollo 8: Virtual Program: 6:00 PM August 29: The waxing crescent Corn Moon reaches apogee – its farthest distance from Earth at 251,374 miles/404,548 km away: 10:00 AM August 30: Catch the waxing crescent Corn Moon next to Antares in the constellation Scorpius: 9:00 PM Westcliffe Star Party: Smokey Jack Observatory: 8:45 PM August 31: First Quarter Corn Moon: 12:25 AM Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS: Where to Explore the 2025 Denver Night Skies  When to Explore the 2025 Denver Night Skies What to Explore in the 2025 Denver Night Skies Sky Map The pdf map of the night sky from SkyMaps.com… Continue reading.

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

August 18: Catch the waning crescent Strugeon Moon next to a trio of open clusters in Auriga—M36, a compact cluster about 4,100 light-years away with roughly 60 hot, young blue stars; M37, the brightest and richest of the three, boasting several hundred stars and a sprinkling of striking red giants about 4,500 light-years distant; and M38, a looser, X-shaped cluster about 4,200 light-years away that contains dozens of stars of varying brightness, offering a gorgeous contrast in the eyepiece: 4:00 AM August 19: Look for the slender crescent Sturgeon Moon sharing the constellation Gemini with a host of other bright objects—brilliant Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system glowing steadily white; dazzling Venus, the brightest planet, shining like a tiny beacon in the evening sky; and the constellation’s twin jewels, Castor, a white multiple star system about 51 light-years away, and Pollux, a golden-hued giant star roughly 34 light-years distant and the brightest star in Gemini: 4:00 AM Mercury reaches its westernmost elongation: 4:00 AM August 20: Check out the waning crescent Sturgeon Moon resting between Venus and Pollux—Venus, the dazzling “Evening Star” and brightest planet in our sky, and Pollux, a warm golden giant star about 34 light-years away that marks the head of the twin in the constellation Gemini.… Continue reading.