TONIGHT - JPL's Nancy Chabot from the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) at the WAS Free Online Science Lecture Event April 15th. The classroom will be closed, however you can join the Zoom webinar or YouTube live stream at 8:00 pm tonight! https://was-ct.org/events/nancy-chabot-planetary-chief-scientist-at-jpl-dart-update/
San Diego California got a pretty good shake this afternoon, as a magnitude 5.2 #earthquake woke up the #USGS seismometers at the #WestportObservatory 2,418 miles away. http://aki2.bc.edu/WSPT_LHZ_NE_00.2025041400.gif?v=1744657741
April Showers Bring More April Showers - It's the April 2025 Westport Astronomical Society Field of View Newsletter! https://mailchi.mp/was-ct/fov_april-2025
WAS Welcomes back Nancy Chabot, Planetary Chief Scientist at JPL for a follow up talk April 15th on the results from DART, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test. The classroom will be closed and the talk will be a webinar on Zoom and streamed on our YouTube channel. https://ow.ly/JgAK50VtSwR
Clear skies? On a Wednesday? Allegedly so! We haven't had a clear public night since late January. LET'S OPEN THE WESTPORT OBSERVATORY AFTER 8PM TONIGHT 3/26! It's the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party and with no Moon this evening, it's deep sky stuff and views of Mars and Jupiter. We'll have the big 25" telescope on the lawn. https://was-ct.org/programs/public-viewing
Did you miss the excellent talk from Sarah Elizabeth McCandless? The free Westport Astronomical Society Lecture series is available on our YouTube channel to watch again or for the first time. Give us a follow and a thumbs up if you like these talks. https://youtube.com/live/0WiP0MYc2n4
**TONIGHT at 8:00 PM - WAS Hosts Sarah Elizabeth McCandless: Exploring an Icy World with Europa Clipper – Mar 18, 2025** https://ow.ly/SeCL50VjO6v
One of the most enigmatic moons of the solar system is about to get a visitor to uncover the secrets of this icy/watery world. This is ONLINE ONLY and the classroom will be closed.
Ready for Spring! It's the March 2025 Westport Astronomical Society Field of View Newsletter! The latest from the Westport Observatory and full of amazing local astrophotography from our members. https://mailchi.mp/was-ct/fov_march_2025
**WAS Hosts JPL's Sarah Elizabeth McCandless: Exploring an Icy World with Europa Clipper – Mar 18, 2025** Having just made a close pass to Mars, the Europa Clipper will have a Jovian arrival in April 2030. Find out why we're going to the the shiny, icy moon full of liquid salt water and what we hope to discover! https://ow.ly/HUu950VbpgV
Our AllSky Camera makes it pretty clear that we're not opening the Westport Observatory again tonight 3/5 for the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party. Fingers crossed for next Wednesday! https://was-ct.org
Observe the clockwork of the solar system and see the total lunar eclipse the morning of March 14th! Our volunteers open up the Westport Observatory from 1-3:40 am EDT to watch the Moon enter Earth's shadow, slowly turning to a dusky orange. Come see your Universe! https://was-ct.org/events/total-lunar-eclipse-2025
NASA's Europa Clipper made a flyby of Mars Saturday on its way to Jupiter. The spacecraft passed 550 miles above the surface at about 15.2 miles per second. The gravity assist tweaked the spacecraft's trajectory, setting up a flyby of Earth in December 2026. We'll talk on March 18th with JPL's Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, the Clipper's Navigation Engineer. https://was-ct.org/events/sarah-mccandless-navigation-engineer-at-jpl-the-europa-clipper/
Come witness the clockwork of the solar system and see the total lunar eclipse at the Westport Observatory early in the morning on Friday, March 14th. We open at 1:00 am and will be there until 3:40 am, weather permitting. https://was-ct.org/events/total-lunar-eclipse-2025/
The struggle is real battling clouds to show off the skies at WAS, but we occasionally get some breaks in for real science. 06880's Dan Woog interviewed our own Staples freshman Serena Diamond who regularly scans the skies for asteroids at the Westport Observatory. https://06880danwoog.com/2025/02/26/that-2032-asteroid-serena-diamond-says-dont-worry/
#WestportAstronomicalSociety #06880 #WestportObservatory #Asteroid #Occultation
Warm weather in New England eventually makes many clouds and we're expecting plenty to come rolling in after sunset this evening. Once again, the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party is CANCELLED tonight 2/26 at the Westport Observatory. We'll try again next Wednesday. https://was-ct.org
Too many clouds and that dangerously cold weather will keep our volunteers at home so the Westport Observatory is CLOSED tonight 2/19. We hope for clearer skies and warmer weather for the next WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party in a week. https://was-ct.org
**TONIGHT! WAS Hosts Montana Williams: The Science of the Very Large Array – Feb 18, 2025** We'll be in the WAS classroom and hope you can join us this evening at 8 pm. https://was-ct.org/events/montana-williams_2025
Snow Time for Stargazing - It's the February 2025 Westport Astronomical Society Field of View Newsletter! The latest from the Westport Observatory and full of amazing local astrophotography from our members. https://mailchi.mp/was-ct/fov_february_2025
Cloudy skies and another round of snow will keep the Westport Observatory CLOSED tonight, 2/12. Hopefully, the next WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party happens in a week! https://was-ct.org
We open up the WAS classroom on February 18th for a talk with New Mexico Tech's Montana Williams - Tuning into the Universe: The Science of the Very Large Array. Come meet up with us for our WAS Monthly Lecture Series and learn all about the VLA.
