Upcoming Events
| Event | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| SMV Skywatch | May 10 | No skywatch for April. |
| Partial 8Solar Eclipse | Apr. 8 | Watch the Solar Eclipse on the front lawn of the Science Museum, starting at 2 PM. RAS will provide safe viewing of the Sun. The percentage of the Sun being covered in Richmond is 85%. |
| RAS monthly meeting | Apr. 9 | Our monthly meeting will be held at the Science Museum of Virginia (in the Thalhimer Theater) and online at 7:30 pm. We will open the video conference at 7:00 PM at this link for people to chat, if they like, and keep it open after the meeting. Please join us if you can. |
You can find a full list of venues on the Venue Page
Searching for Information About the Sky?
What’s in the Sky Tonight?
Looking West, you can’t miss the very bright Jupiter, and to your left, the bright star Sirius almost directly South. In between Jupiter and Sirius, you should be able to…
Telescope Buying Guide
Do you want to buy a telescope, but don’t know where to start? You might consider using a pair of binoculars first, to become acquainted with the night sky. You…
Schedule a Skywatch
Are you a teacher? Scout Leader? We offer skywatch sessions, free of charge, for any educational purpose. We’ll bring one or more telescopes, depending on the size of the crowd….
Future and Past RAS Events
Mobbed at Eclipse 2024
Several RAS members helped out at the Science Museum yesterday for the Solar Eclipse of 2024, and what a day it was. One of the TV stations estimated 1,000 to…
RAS “wins” at STEM Fair 2024
Hooray, we had another STEM Fair, revived from our Covid gap in 2020-2022. The Fair has been picked up by the VCU STEM Education Department, and they successfully pulled off…
Powhatan State Park, January 2024
60 people joined us for this skywatch at the park, which is about 35 miles west of downtown Richmond. The park rangers here are very friendly to our club, and…
Take Your Own Picture of the Moon
Would you like to take your own picture of the Moon? Come to one of the SMV skywatches, and if the Moon is up, you’ll likely get one. This picture…
Apollo Lands at The Virginia House
RAS helped the Virginia Museum of History & Culture host a skywatch for one of their annual member events. The event’s theme was based on the museum’s current exhibit: Apollo:…
Richmond STEM Fair 2023
Yes, the STEM Fair has been revived. After three years of COVID shutdowns, VCU’s School of Education Center for Innovation in STEM Education has stepped up and hosted the temprarily…
Invited, but Ignored
We made it successful, in spite of an oversight. RAS was invited to Oak Knoll Middle School’s StemFest. We’ve attended this event a couple of times, but hadn’t it a…
Parade of Planets
We saw a beautiful parade of Jupiter, the Moon, and Saturn last night at the Robious Middle School skywatch. About 50 students and parents gathered on the football field, where…
Read The Sky at Night Mag for Free-Update
This is an update to an earlier post about reading astronomy magazines for free. You may be aware that you can read books online from your local library, but you…
Doesn’t Get More Casual Than This
Intermission Beer Company enjoys us setting up in a field next to the brewery. The crowd displays unusual interest–I’m guessing because it seems so incongruous to see telescopes being set…
Country Club or Camp?
RAS hosted a skywatch at Camp Brady Saunders (Goochland), and I have to say, this is one of the most gorgeous camp sites I’ve ever seen. They built an amphitheater…
Skywatches are Getting “Perkier”
At last night’s skywatch, at Charles City, we were treated to pizza, chips, soft drinks, and Girl Scout cookies. At the one last month, hosted by Henrico County we had…