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Welcome to Houston Astronomical Society

Fostering the science and art of astronomy through programs that serve our membership and the community. Founded in 1955, Houston Astronomical Society is an active community of enthusiastic amateur and professional astronomers with over 70 years of history in the Houston area. Through education and outreach, our programs promote science literacy and astronomy awareness. We meet via Zoom the first Friday of each month for the General Membership Meeting and the first Thursday of the month for the Novice Meeting. Membership has a variety of benefits, including access to a secure dark site west of Houston, special interest groups that focus on particular areas of astronomy, an active community outreach program, and much more. Joining is simple.

Kleb Woods Report Feb 1, 2025

🌟Kleb Woods -  a Spectacular Night Under the Stars! 🌟

February 1st, 2025  Kleb Astronomy Night was a fantastic success, bringing together 87 enthusiastic participants; parents, kids, and outreach volunteers; for an evening of discovery and wonder.

The night kicked off with an engaging presentation on how telescopes help us explore the universe. We covered the basics of refractors and reflectors, how ground-based and space telescopes work, and the incredible role they play in expanding our knowledge of the cosmos. A huge help during the talk was having example telescopes on hand, including a home-built Newtonian and Classical Cassegrain, which gave everyone a hands-on look at different designs. Big thanks to Bob for bringing them! The kids were full of curiosity, firing off great questions that kept us on our toes!

After the talk, we headed outside for a spectacular dark sky star party at Kleb Woods Nature Preserve, a hidden gem in northwest Houston. This secluded, wooded area; normally closed to the public at night; was specially opened for our event, offering a rare chance to stargaze in a beautifully dark setting.

The conditions couldn’t have been better! With clear skies and great seeing, we observed: Orion, Rosette and Horsehead Nebula, Jupiter, it’s moons and a shadow, Mars, Venus, craters on our own moon, Andromeda, the Cigar Galaxy and the seven sisters.

A huge shoutout to our dedicated volunteers who brought an amazing variety of equipment, from Dobsonian telescopes to Smart telescopes and guided binoculars. This allowed everyone to experience the night sky in different ways, perfectly complementing the earlier talk on telescope technology.

The mix of hands-on experience, great company, and a sky full of wonders made for an unforgettable evening. Thank you to everyone!

📢 Volunteers, don’t forget to log this outreach event to claim your Astronomical League Outreach Pin (after 5 events!). Contact Stephen Jones for more details.

🔭 Join us for the next event at Kleb Woods, March 29th 2025. Clear skies! ✨

Announcing the Smart Telescope SIG!

Smart telescopes have taken the hobby by storm, and HAS along with it!  Some of the most lively discussion in our various communication channels of late has been about using smart telescopes, as well as sharing images we have acquired using them.  Thus, it is with great excitement that I announce the creation of the Smart Telescope SIG (STSIG).  As with the other SIGs we will meet once per month via Zoom to discuss anything and everything smart telescopes.  STSIG will meet on the third Wednesday of each month (the spot vacated by the now defunct EAASIG).  If you have a smart telescope or are thinking of getting one, or if you just want to see what all the fuss is about, join us!  Our first meeting will be Wednesday, February 19 at 7:30 PM.  Hope to see a good crowd.  Zoom link will be in the monthly SIG meeting email. 

Stephen Jones
President

 

AP Target of the Month - Jan 2025 / Feb 2025

New AP SIG target of the month (Jan-Feb 2025) a planet from our solar system. They should line up for us - as planet parade just started! For many a new acquisition and processing challenge, and maybe time to dust off some barlows! Very much looking forward to meet and discuss our learnings!

What members are saying...2025 01 16

What Members Are Saying.....

1/1/2025

  • John Benner - My astro images from 2024. Looking forward to 2025 and retirement and being able to image any clear night. I hope everybody has a safe and Happy New Year!

1/5/2025

  • Joe Khalaf - This was my first astrophoto ever attempted - Mars, at the 2020 Eldorado Star Party. Bill Flanagan was kind enough to give me some pointers on how to stack and do some processing of the image. This was taken with a 12" LX200GPS with a 3X barlow using an ASI224MC (9144mm of focal length!)

1/7/2025

  • Mike Hooper - Here is M78, OSC broadband. Shot 11-27-24 near Farmington NM. Bortle 2, 5 hours.
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  • Mike Hooper - It contains Barnard Loop, NGC 2112 and 2071 and M78. Shot this last night with my Askar FMA180 Pro. 4:30 total with 180 subs. ASI533 MCPro with L-Extreme filter.

1/10/2025

  • John Benner - The APSIG target of the month. NGC 2237 The Rosette Nebula. since I am out of commission after back surgery on Jan 2. Matt Boerlage was kind enough to send me his narrowband data. I can't thank him enough. Processed in Pixinsight. First image is LSHO. 2nd image was processed in LHSO.