Warren County Astronomical Society

08/31/2026

Don't miss the last Conservation In Action workshop for 2026, all about Dark Skies! Register to join us and the Warren County Astronomical Society out at Camp Joy on Tuesday, September 15 at 7:30p to learn about how we can reduce our light pollution impact, take home tools to help accomplish this, and explore the Rachel A. Hutzel Observatory. Register at https://www.warrenswcd.com/cia-dark-skies.html

08/28/2026

Earlier this year CAS announced a new partnership with The Moeller Observatory, a private research-class observatory in Adams County.

So what does a partial lunar eclipse look like through a 1-meter research-grade reflecting telescope? Thanks to CAS member and citizen science team leader Matthew Garrod, now you can see. Matthew was out at the observatory last night capturing images through this giant telescope, and his luck was better than ours here in the city as he had clear skies for most of the critical parts of the eclipse, including maximum eclipse.

Nice work Matthew!

08/27/2026

Here are the details for Thursday night's partial lunar eclipse. The weather forecast looks pretty good for observing.

08/25/2026

If you can observe only one celestial event in the evening this August, see this one.
The Moon slides through a deep partial eclipse
In the late evening hours on August 27 and into the early morning hours on August 28, the brilliant full moon slides into Earth's shadow.
• Even though the partial umbral eclipse begins at 9:33 pm CDT on Aug 27, any dark bite might not be noticed for another 5 minutes.
• At and near mid eclipse, many stars will the visible, ones that weren’t seen before the eclipse started.
• At mid eclipse (11:42 pm CDT Aug 27) when 93% of the moon lies in the umbral shadow, what color is the moon? How red is it?
• Do you notice that the shadow's edge is not straight, but curved?

08/23/2026

08/20/2026

For those who may be imaging the Lunar Eclipse on Thursday/Friday, August 27th-28th. A relatively wide-field lens may capture the core of the Milky Way along with the eclipsed Moon. Since about 96% of the Moon's surface will be in the Earth's shadow, the skies will be dark enough to visibly see (away from city light pollution) and image the Milky Way and the eclipsed Moon for a period of time during maximum eclipse. Get those cameras ready, and fingers crossed for clear skies. (Image courtesy of Stellarium)

08/20/2026

08/02/2026

In early August:
Mercury sits low above the eastern horizon 40 minutes before sunrise. Venus shines brilliantly in the west shortly after sunset. Mars rises before 3 am. Jupiter hides behind the sun. Saturn climbs above the eastern horizon before 11 pm.

08/01/2026

August Moon Phases

🌑 New Moon: August 13
🌕 Full Moon: August 28 — Sturgeon Moon 🐟

August brings some of the best nights of the year for astrophotography. 🌌
With darker skies around the New Moon, it’s the perfect time to capture stunning deep-sky treasures like the Wizard Nebula, Elephant Trunk Nebula,and Cocoon Nebula. ✨

The month’s highlight arrives on August 12, when a Total Solar Eclipse sweeps across parts of Europe, creating a breathtaking celestial moment. 🌑
Later, the Full Moon on August 28 will rise with a Partial Lunar Eclipse, offering another stunning view of the Moon’s journey through Earth’s shadow. 🌕🌘

Mark the Moon calendar and make every clear night count. 🔭
Clear skies! ✨