9/10 Oct. 2025
– Lunar Occultation of the Pleiades Star Cluster
Three Public Star Gazes in October
Image credit: club member Alan Davis – taken at Lookout Observatory
Continue to check this home page as weather could change the venue or postpone and possibly cancel a star gaze. Check again after 5:00 p.m. on the afternoon of the observing session for the latest info and update.
Sep. 20, 2025 update: Repairs to Lookout Observatory are completed, and public star gazes up there will commence in October.
A lightning strike in July damaged a circuit board in the primary telescope mount at Grassland Mtn. Obs. This will take some time to repair, but the public star gazes will still be conducted there using portable telescopes.
10 Oct. 2025 — Friday night — This public star gaze will be held at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County, with a weather backup night of Saturday, 11 October. This event is free and open to everyone — registration is not necessary to attend. A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be provided here on the day of the star gaze by 5:00 p.m. Directions to Grassland Mountain Observatory can be found here. These star gazes normally conclude about 3 to 4 hours after sunset, and visitors are not permitted to stay past the conclusion time. Sunset occurs at 7:00 p.m.
17 Oct. 2025 — Friday night — The location for this star gaze will be Lookout Observatory on the UNC Asheville campus, with a weather backup date of Saturday, 18 October. While the event is free and open to everyone, pre-registration is required to attend. To learn more about how to register, please visit the UNCA Lookout Observatory website here. Sunset occurs at 6:51 p.m., with shuttle service beginning about 7:30 p.m.
24 Oct. 2025 — Friday night — This public star gaze will be held at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County, with a weather backup night of Saturday, 25 October. This event is free and open to everyone — registration is not necessary to attend. A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be provided here on the day of the star gaze by 5:00 p.m. Directions to Grassland Mountain Observatory can be found here. These star gazes normally conclude about 3 to 4 hours after sunset, and visitors are not permitted to stay past the conclusion time. Sunset occurs at 6:43 p.m.
20/21 Oct. 2025
– Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks Under Dark Skies
Illustration courtesy of
SKY & TELESCOPE
1 Nov. 2025
– The Beaver Moon Joins Saturn in the Constellation Aquarius
Illustration created with SkySafari and PowerPoint software
6 Nov. 2025 – Club Meeting Presentation
— Thursday night, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
This free speaker presentation will be offered in-person at the
UNC-Asheville Reuter Center and virtually online. Registration is not required; use this Zoom link to watch the presentation remotely.
Although parking for this meeting at the Reuter Center is free, you must register your vehicle with a “Visitor 5pm – 6am” permit type
at this link. Once registration is complete, visitors will not need to print or display a permit; the system utilizes camera-based License Plate Recognition technology. All vehicles must park front-end in, so that the license plate is visible.
James Webb Space Telescope: The Story So Far
– presented by
Maggie Connelly,
Planetarium Specialist at Roper Mountain Science Center
After nearly four groundbreaking years in space, what has the James Webb Space Telescope revealed about our universe? Join us for a captivating journey through space and time as we explore the incredible discoveries made by this revolutionary observatory! Read more…