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The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society is the oldest organization of its kind in Michigan and one of the largest. Its purpose is to promote the exchange of information among those with a common interest in all areas of astronomy, to educate the public about astronomical discoveries and events and to cooperate with other amateur and professional astronomical organizations.

Our membership consists of people from all walks of life, educational backgrounds and ages.  The majority of the membership are novices or armchair astronomers; most don't even own a telescope. Therefore, you don't need any technical knowledge or fancy equipment to be a part of the KAS. Please consider attending a meeting or joining us under a starry sky.







08/30 Holiday Weekend Observing
Are you staying home this holiday weekend? If so, are you looking for something to do on the night of Saturday, September 4th? How about joining us under the stars at the Kalamazoo Nature Center? Highlights of the observing session include Jupiter and the open clusters of summer. Naturally, we'll observe much, much more. Check our schedule page for further details.
08/30 September General Meeting
Our September gathering is being delayed one week due to the Labor Day holiday weekend. Join us at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC) on Friday, September 10th. The special guest speaker will be Dr. Heather Jacobson from Michigan State University. She'll be discussing Our Dusty Universe. The meeting kicks off at 7:00 pm and admission is always free.  See our schedule page for more information.
07/07 Buy a Galileoscope
The KAS is selling its remaining supply of Galileoscopes! The Galileoscope is a refracting telescope kit with a lens 50mm in diameter and 500mm in focal length.  This simple kit gives remarkable views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and much more. All this for only $30 (plus shipping). All proceeds help fund KAS programming. Our supply is limited, get yours before they're gone. Please visit the SkyShop page to place an order: skyshop.kasonline.org
You can also follow the latest KAS news and events on Twitter.




September 10th & 11th
A thin Waxing Crescent Moon, Venus, and faint Mars will form a large triangle very low in the west-southwest on Friday, September 10th. Begin your search about 15 minutes after sunset. You'll need an unobstructed view of the horizon to spot the Moon and binoculars might be needed to see Mars. The Moon will then move to within 6° of Venus on Saturday, September 11th. Grab your camera as this a great photogenic opportunity.


September 17th - 19th
Jupiter and Uranus will be separated by only 0.8° from September 17th to September 19th. You'll need a telescope to spot Uranus, which isn't typically visible to the unaided eye. The small separation means you'll be able to fit both outer planets in the same field-of-view.

The simulated view to the left is how the pair would look through a 9.25" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a 41mm Panoptic eyepiece. All four Galilean moons should also be easily visible when viewed with a telescope (Ganymede is actually transiting Jupiter at the time of the image at left and casting a shadow on the planet).

Both planets will be at opposition on September 21st, so you'll have almost the entire night to enjoy the close conjunction.

Check out Abrams Planetarium's Night Sky Notes for more highlights.




09/02 Spitzer Finds a Flavorful Mix of Asteroids
New research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals that asteroids somewhat near Earth, termed near-Earth objects, are a mixed bunch, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions. Like a piñata filled with everything from chocolates to fruity candies, these asteroids come in assorted colors and compositions. Some are dark and dull; others are shiny and bright. The Spitzer observations of 100 known near-Earth asteroids demonstrate that the objects’ diversity is greater than previously thought.
08/26 Kepler Discovers Two Planets Transiting the Same Star
NASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered the first confirmed planetary system with more than one planet crossing in front of, or transiting, the same star.
08/23 Pulverized Planet Dust May Lie Around Double Stars
Tight double-star systems might not be the best places for life to spring up, according to a new study using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared observatory spotted a surprisingly large amount of dust around three mature, close-orbiting star pairs. Where did the dust come from? Astronomers say it might be the aftermath of tremendous planetary collisions.
08/19 Cosmic Lens Used to Probe Dark Energy for First Time
Astronomers have devised a new method for measuring perhaps the greatest puzzle of our universe -- dark energy. This mysterious force, discovered in 1998, is pushing our universe apart at ever-increasing speeds.
08/12 Raisin' Mountains on Saturn's Moon Titan
Saturn's moon Titan ripples with mountains, and scientists have been trying to figure out how they form. The best explanation, it turns out, is that Titan is shrinking as it cools, wrinkling up the moon's surface like a raisin.
Browse the NASA News Archive.



Amateur Astronomers (9:52)



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