Our 90th anniversary celebration continues on Feb. 6th, at 7pm EST. Christopher Stubbs, the Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Harvard University, will present (via Zoom) "The Vera C. Rubin Observatory: A New Eye Opens on the Universe." More at: www.kasonline.org/schedule.html

The Moon, just one day past full, will occult Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, tonight (2/2). From West Michigan, Leo’s blazing heart suddenly disappears at about 8:45pm EST, only to dramatically reappear at 9:43pm. Make sure to observe the occultation with binoculars or a telescope for a better view.

Part 1 of the "Introduction to Amateur Astronomy" lecture series, "Our Place Among the Infinities," is now available for your viewing pleasure on the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society's YouTube channel. Join us for Part 2 on January 31st! youtu.be/RA2Gd3GrzXs?...

It's really cold out there today, but hopefully this fact will help. One of the coldest places in the solar system is on Neptune's largest moon (by far), Triton. Its average surface temperature is -235° C (-391° F). Feel better? 🥶

The feature presentation from our January General Meeting, titled "Venus as a Potentially Habitable Planet" by Prof. Sara Seager, is now available for viewing on our YouTube channel. Enjoy! youtu.be/WdkP3tvGSjk?...

Story on the "Introduction to Amateur Astronomy" series by the Western Herald (WMU's student newspaper). www.westernherald.com/news/article...

Tonight's Online Viewing Session is ON! Join us as we explore the deep-sky wonders of the winter sky starting at 9 PM EST. If you haven't registered yet, be sure to do so now: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

KAS Double Header! Join us for our January General Meeting tonight at 7 PM, featuring Prof. Sara Seager, and don't miss our Online Viewing Session tomorrow at 9 PM. Let's kick off our 90th anniversary on a high note! For more details, visit our schedule page: www.kasonline.org/schedule.html.

Join us for a tour of some deep-sky wonders this Saturday, January 10th, during our upcoming Online Viewing Session. We will start at 9pm EST. Everyone is welcome to participate, but please note that registration is required (www.kasonline.org/schedule.html).

Our year-long 90th anniversary celebration begins this Friday, January 9th, at 7pm. Please join at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center or on Zoom. Follow this link to register on Zoom: www.kasonline.org/schedule.html

Happy Perihelion Day! Today, at approximately 12:15 PM EST, Earth reaches its closest point to the Sun for 2026. Measured from center to center, the distance between the Sun and Earth will be 91,403,637 miles. Earth's distance from the Sun varies slightly each day due to its elliptical orbit.

KAS member Tim Kurtz captured this view of the Horsehead and Flame Nebulae from his family's property at Arizona Sky Village. He used an Askar 71F refractor, a ZWO AM5N mount, and an ASI071MC camera. He took 160 2-minute subframes and processed the final image with PixInsight and Adobe Lightroom.

On behalf of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, we wish you a joyful holiday season. We look forward to celebrating our 90th anniversary with you throughout 2026!

Looking for a last-minute gift for the astronomy nut in your life? Consider a membership in the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, the oldest and largest astronomy club in Michigan. Next year marks our 90th anniversary, and we have many exciting special events planned. www.kasonline.org/joining.html

ONE MONTH AWAY! The "Introduction to Amateur Astronomy" lecture series starts on January 17th. Over 300 people have already registered. Sign up now, attend all five sessions, and you'll earn a Certificate of Completion. www.kasonline.org/amastro.html

That's a wrap! The most recent Online Viewing Session, our last activity of the year, is now available for viewing on our YouTube channel. Our year-long 90th anniversary celebration begins on January 9th. Join us! www.youtube.com/live/40bYTSy...

Tonight's Online Viewing Session, featuring the KAS Remote Telescope, is ON! Take a break from the hectic holiday season and join us for a tour of some deep-sky wonders, all observed from the dark skies of southeastern Arizona. Follow this link to register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

The final KAS activity of 2025 is scheduled for tomorrow (12/13). Join us on Zoom at 8:30 pm EST for our next Online Viewing Session, featuring the KAS Remote Telescope. The weather forecast has improved since earlier this week. Visit the schedule page to register: www.kasonline.org/schedule.html

Today is GivingTuesday! Please support the mission and activities of the KAS by making a contribution. Thank you! www.kasonline.org/donate.html

Wishing all astronomy fans a joyful Thanksgiving.

Albert Nagler (1935—2025) The Nagler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of condolences these past few weeks. Each is helping us inch forward from our loss. Our new blog post has an image gallery from Al’s life: tinyurl.com/TVOTWAlNagler

"You know Orion always comes up sideways. Throwing a leg up over our fence of mountains, And rising on his hands, he looks in on me..." - Robert Frost, The Star-Splitter

Our first Online Viewing Session of the 2025/2026 season is now available for viewing on our YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/live/h40wZRF...

The season premiere of Online Viewing Sessions, featuring the KAS Remote Telescope in Arizona, is ON tonight! Follow this link (shorturl.at/3idP1) to register or join us live on YouTube (www.youtube.com/c/kalamazooa...).

The forecast looks much improved from earlier this week for the first Online Viewing Session of the season tomorrow. If skies above Arizona Sky Village are indeed clear, register for the session and join us on Zoom starting at 8:30 pm EST. www.kasonline.org/viewing.html

KAS member Tim Kurtz made a timelapse video of the aurora from a couple of nights ago. He used a Canon 90D and took 200 3-second images with a 10mm lens at f/4.

It seems that our all-sky camera at Arizona Sky Village recorded a flyover of the International Space Station. www.kasonline.org/all-sky.html

The UK's best-selling astronomy magazine, "Sky at Night," recently featured the KAS in its "Society in Focus" column in its October 2025 issue. We extend our gratitude to everyone at "Sky at Night" for this recognition.

The Legend Returns! Accept no substitutes. Our world-renowned five-part "Introduction to Amateur Astronomy" lecture series returns starting on January 17th. Register today, and we'll guide you on your journey to becoming a star-hopping skymaster! www.kasonline.org/amastro.html

Looking for a little Sunday viewing material? Check out Astrophotography Night, where 11 KAS members showcased their best cosmic images from the past year or so. You can now watch it on our YouTube channel. youtu.be/iPTtuu_65B0?...

Wishing all you stargazers a Happy Halloween!

The season is over! Tonight's Public Observing Session, our last of the year, is CANCELED due to excessive cloudiness. Thanks to everyone who attended a session and to those that shared views through their telescope.

Our final Public Observing Session of the year is tomorrow (10/25), with Nature Center gates opening by 7pm. If you’ve been telling yourself, “I need to attend at least one session this year,” then tomorrow is your LAST chance. Highlights include Galaxies of Autumn. www.kasonline.org/observing.html

If you can, run outside and look for Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) RIGHT NOW! You'll need a pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars to spot it.

Tonight's Public Observing Session is ON! It is *supposed* to clear up right around sunset. Who knows, this could be our last session of the year. Highlights include Saturn and the Double Stars of Autumn. Gates will be open by 7pm. Dress warm! www.kasonline.org/observing.html

Tonight is International Observe the Moon Night. Grab your binoculars or telescope and observe Earth's nearest celestial neighbor. For even more lunar fun, visit this website and enter your name. You'll see it displayed in lunar features: alphabetmoon.org

The Moon will hinder viewing a bit this weekend, but it's supposed to be clear. If you head outside for a little stargazing, be sure to download our free October Night Sky star map. It'll help you identify the bright stars that'll still be visible. www.kasonline.org/files/1025ma...

Sharing astrophotos online is great, but it's even better with fellow members and guests. Join us tomorrow night at 7pm for "Astrophotography Night," a KAS tradition that has been celebrated for over 50 years. For more details, please visit our schedule page: www.kasonline.org/schedule.html.

Tonight's Public Observing Session is ON! Conditions should be excellent! Gates open by 8pm. Our highlight is the Great Square, an asterism of four stars from the constellations Andromeda and Pegasus. We'll view deep sky objects around that region and MUCH more! www.kasonline.org/observing.html

Our first Public Observing Session of Fall is tomorrow (September 27th), with Kalamazoo Nature Center gates opening by 8:00 pm. The forecast looks excellent. Admission is free, and a telescope is not required to participate. Learn more on the observing page: www.kasonline.org/observing.html

Tonight's Public Observing Session is CANCELED. It might clear up enough to observe, but conditions probably won't be too favorable. We'll try again on September 27th. www.kasonline.org/schedule.html

Please join us tomorrow (9/5) at 7pm EDT. KAS President Richard Bell will present a brief history of human exploration of the Moon, beginning with the invention of the telescope and extending through the dawn of the space age. Join us live or on Zoom. Details: www.kasonline.org/schedule.html.

Tonight's Public Observing Session is ON! Conditions tonight could make for the best session of the season, so we hope you can join us. Kalamazoo Nature Center gates will be open by 9pm. Observing should begin about 30 minutes later. www.kasonline.org/observing.html

After two cancellations in a row, the forecast looks excellent for our next Public Observing Session on August 30th. Gates will be open by 9pm. We hope you can spend part of your Labor Day holiday weekend with us under the stars at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. www.kasonline.org/observing.html

Online Viewing Sessions featuring the KAS Remote Telescope are returning for another season, beginning on November 15th, weather permitting. Register now to virtually join us under Arizona's starry skies! www.kasonline.org/viewing.html

Tonight's Public Observing Session is CANCELED. This has NOT been a great summer for observing. Too cloudy and WAY too humid. We'll try again on August 30th, folks.

We don't like being the bearer of bad news, but the weather for tomorrow night's Public Observing Session doesn't look promising. Keep an eye here or on our website for the official announcement tomorrow afternoon. Learn more about public sessions at www.kasonline.org/observing.html.

Now that the oppressive heat and humidity are behind us (at least for now), it’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy some stargazing. To assist you in locating the stars and constellations of summer, download our August Night Sky star map: www.kasonline.org/files/0825ma...

A little something on a hot and humid Sunday...

As we anticipated, tonight's Public Observing Session is CANCELED. Our next scheduled session will be on August 16th. Stay dry, everyone! www.kasonline.org/observing.html