Fall 2018
Fall 2018 Observatory Event Schedule
8/28 8:30 pm. Mars: This is a spectacular year for Mars. On July 31 at 3:50 a.m. EDT, the planet will come closer to Earth than at any other time since its historically close approach of August 2003. Not until September 2035 will it come so close again.
9/17 9:00 pm. Saturn: Saturn will spend all of 2018 in Sagittarius, the Archer, hovering above the asterism (a prominent pattern of stars) popularly known as “The Teapot“.
9/27 8:30 pm. Dumbbell Nebula: The Dumbbell Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula. This object was the first planetary nebula to be discovered; by Charles Messier in 1764.
10/13 8:30 pm. Messier 31 and/or 32: This object is first mentioned by the Persian astronomer Al Sufi in the 10th Century, but the world becomes aware of its existence only in 1764, when Charles Messier includes it in his catalogue along with other galactic companions.
10/28 8:00 pm. M57: The Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Lyra. Such objects are formed when a shell of ionized gas is by a red giant star, which was passing through the last stage in its evolution before becoming a white dwarf.
11/7 11:00 pm. M78: The nebula Messier 78 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula of a group of nebulae. About 45 variable young stars still in the process of formation are known in M78.
11/15 9:00 pm. Moon: Come see pock marked surface of our single satellite. The shadows round the crater’s rims and stretching across the bleak and forlorn landscape is truly a sight to behold.
12/13 10:00 pm. Great Orion Nebula: The Orion Nebula is a nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion’s Belt in its eponymous constellation. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky.
