BPO Book Club: Dark Skies (on Zoom)
June 23rd – “The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life by Johan Eklöf
Blog
Paint Night at the Planetarium
Join Battle Point Observatory’s Artist in Residence, Deborah Milton, and discover beginner-friendly techniques to paint a unique piece based on Black Holes & Dark Matter!
Astrophotography Special Interest Group
Ever thought of dipping your toes into astrophotography? Want to chat with other astrophotographers? The next meeting of the Battle Point Observatory’s Astrophotography Special Interest Group will be on Saturday, June 13th, at 11 AM in the Gardiner Library inside of the Battle Point Observatory.
Join us for a Grand Old Fourth!
Come find our booth & say hello at the Grand Old Fourth street fair! We’re partnering with Dark Sky Olympic Peninsula to join in Bainbridge Island’s biggest summer celebration. The Fourth of July in downtown Winslow will be packed with vendors, food, family-friendly fun zone, a parade, car show, and more!
June Saturday Planetarium Shows
Our weekly planetarium shows continue this month on June 6, 13, & 20 at 12:30 and 2:30! There won’t be any shows on June 27 – that’s when we kick off the Introduction to Astronomy 101 class.
The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
Credit: Chuck Wraith
The Whirlpool Galaxy is a perennial favorite for star gazers in the month of May. It is an interacting grand design spiral galaxy and was first discovered by Charles Messier in 1773.
WHAT’S UP(COMING)! – Observation Calendar Jun-Aug 2026
Source for events and links below are In-The-Sky.org, Dominic Ford, Editor. The links provide details for each event including a scale on how difficult they are to observe.
Less Of the Night Sky Is Visible Than Ever Before
Light pollution now steals a pristine night sky from the majority of humanity. The rise of LED lighting, primarily since 2014, is to blame.
JWST Finds a Stellar Bar in the Early Universe That Breaks All Rules
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered a stellar bar in GN20, a massive galaxy seen just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. The new paper was submitted to the preprint server arXiv on May 14.
Is Extracting Oxygen from Lunar Soil the Future of Space Exploration?
A new race to the moon is emerging between the United States and China. Unlike fifty years ago, the goal is no longer just about landing and leaving, but establishing a base that allows for a sustainable presence and extended stays on the surface of our natural satellite. The objective is now to use the moon as a testing ground for technologies that will enable us to travel further, particularly to Mars.