August BPA Theatre School Camp
The Bainbridge Performing Arts’ summer theatre camp is returning this year and open for signups!
Blog
July Saturday Planetarium Shows
Our weekly planetarium shows continue this month, but only on July 18, at 12:30 and 2:30! So many other activities on Bainbridge that we’re supporting – including the Grand Old Fourth on 7/4 and the Rotary Auction on 7/11!
Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG)
July’s ASIG meeting will be held on the third Saturday, July 18th, in the Gardiner Library of the Battle Point Observatory. Start time is 11 am.
Olympic Telescope: Hurricane Ridge Programs Begin in July
John Goar (of Olympic Astronomical Society, DarkSky Olympic Peninsula, and BPAA Member!) is the “Dark Ranger” leading free public astronomy programs at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. This will be the 16th summer season!
The Silver Sliver Galaxy (NGC 891)
This image was captured by BPAA member Chuck Wraith from a backyard in Sequim, WA using an 11” SCT reflector telescope.
Vera C. Rubin Observatory Begins Its Legacy Survey of Space and Time
The NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially launched the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a 10-year census of the southern sky that astronomers have anticipated for decades.
Millions of Stars in Cigar Galaxy
A team of astronomers recently completed an imaging survey with the Webb telescope. This program entailed a total of 65 hours of observation time with Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument and revealed never-seen-before details of the starburst galaxy, including its distended disk structure and millions of individual stars. Webb’s high-resolution imaging, specifically of the main plane of the galactic disk, has unlocked vital information for astronomers as they seek to uncover M82’s formation history. Additionally, the Webb data will help scientists understand the current processes occurring within the starburst galaxy.
The Little Red Galaxies That May Be Sending Us Neutrinos
Peering far into the distant, high-redshift universe, the James Webb telescope has discovered an abundance of small red galaxies known as the Little Red Dots. From their observations, astronomers believe that at least some of these galaxies may be home to growing supermassive black holes at their centers, objects which they believe are embedded in dense gaseous envelopes, an environment suitable for producing high-energy neutrinos.
Hubble Details Early Galaxy Transforming Neighborhood
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found something they never expected — ultraviolet light from a galaxy that existed just 1.4 billion years after the big bang. That galaxy contains tightly clustered young stars that produce ionizing light capable of transforming the opaque, neutral gas within and immediately around the galaxy, clearing our view. This suggests that similar galaxies in the early universe were responsible for clearing the neutral fog of hydrogen gas that once filled the cosmos.
The Most Distant Lensing Cluster Reveals a Dark Matter Surprise
Over 10 billion years in the past, an ultra-massive galaxy cluster lenses objects behind it. That has big implications for dark matter.