Upcoming Events
| Event | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| RAS monthly meeting | Aug. 12 | 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. |
| RAS Outreach Event | TBD | September |
| Saturday Under the Stars | Sept. 13 | Please join the Richmond Astronomical Society for a Saturday Under the Stars at Powhatan State Park on Sept. 13 from 8-10 PM for some beautiful views of the night sky. If you like, please feel free to bring your own telescope or a comfortable chair and make yourself at home under the dark skies of Powhatan State Park. Note that park fees apply at all times; fees are waived for volunteer astronomers who share their knowledge or share views of the night sky with our visitors. At the last couple of events at Powhatan State Park we had a lot of visitors, so please join us with your telescope if you can. In case of inclement weather, we will post a cancellation notice on our Facebook page and to this e-mail list. A Google map to Powhatan State Park (Equestrian Parking lot) is at this link. |
You can find a full list of venues on the Venues Page
Searching for Information About the Sky?
What’s in the Sky Tonight?
Facing South and looking almost straight overhead, you’ll see two bright stars. The one to the right is Arcturus, and the one to the left is Vega. To the left…
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
RAD (Richond Astronomy Day) November 1.
Plans are in progress for this year’s Astronomy Day, which will take place November 1 at Dorey Park. Henrico County is going to let us use their Recreation Center at Dorey Park….
Michael Holland
Michael Holland, longtime associate of the Richmond Astronomical Society, passed away on February 27, 2025 at the age of 76. He was a US Navy veteran and served in the…
Blood Moon this Thursday (3/13)
Get ready! A total lunar eclipse is happening on March 13-14. We’ll see a lunar eclipse late on March 13, stretching into the wee hours of March 14. It starts just…
Observing Charts by Steve Bellavia
RAS member Steve Bellavia has created a set of excellent observing charts focusing on the Messier objects and the more popular NGC objects. Each chart is printable and shows the…
The Library Telescope Project
An Update from John Sokol (Editor’s note: The Library Telescope Program is a project that a number of astronomy clubs support. Participating clubs purchase and maintain simple telescopes that are…
A Venus Nighthawk
She’s Got It – an update from Josh Urban’s adventures on the farm and in the city. #212 By Josh Urban – Nov 18 Appearing in the Altavista Journal, etc:…
A System of Binoviewing
by John C Raymond I’d like to share some of my ideas and opinions on binoviewing. What is a System of Binoviewing? An assembly of common observing equipment that’s powerful,…
Peter Tlusty’s Students to Compete in International NASA Challenge!
NASA recently selected 75 student teams to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency’s…
First Astronomy Day at Crump Park
RAS decided to try something different this year, and partner with Henrico County for Astronomy Day. While the crowd was not great, everything else worked out very well, and we…
Pass Me a Wrench…
Letters from Josh (A weekly update from Josh Urban’s adventures on the farm and in the city. #204) Excerpted from a Letter from Josh as it appeared in the Altavista…
Mysteries of Lyra
By John Raymond Lyra is a prominent and fascinating constellation that passes overhead for us in the mid-northern latitudes. Its visible most of the year. It has one of the…
Review of Taurus Telescopes’ 12 inch T- 300 Ultra-light Dobsonian
By John Roberts One of the hurdles that we amateur astronomers have is that most of us live in or near cities with bright night skies. Our home’s Bortle 8+…