Women in STEM Book Club
The Women in STEM Book Club is two for two with great conversations and we’ve got another one for March!
BPAA
Zoom Programming: What’s Up Next Month?
Special Zoom-only event on the last Thursday of every month!
Thursday, March 26th at 6:00 pm
March Planetarium Shows
Our weekly planetarium shows continue this month on March 7, 14, & 28 at 12:30 and 2:30! Exact content is flexible based on audience interest, but common topics include constellations, planets, seasons, and astronomy history. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children with a $5 discount for members.
Celebrate the Universe!
Join BPAA and Dark Sky Olympic Peninsula for a variety of local programs during April for International Dark Sky Week, April 13 – 20, 2026
Comet Neowise (c/2020 F3) Over Quilcene Bay
Credit: Alan Herold This spectacular image of Comet Neowise was taken by member Alan Herold at 11pm in July of 2020 from the eastern shore of Quilcene Bay. Nikon D80 DSLR, 45mm lens, f/5.6, 10 sec exp. This comet will not be back to our inner solar system for another 6800 years!
WHAT’S UP(COMING)! – Observation Calendar Mar-May 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. Additionally, here’s a link to a printable PDF for “Navigating the mid March Night Sky” from our friends at the Astronomical League! Mar 3 – Total lunar eclipse – Full Moon Mar 18 – New Moon Mar 20 – Conjunction of the Moon and Venus – March equinox Mar 21 – Asteroid 20 Massalia at opposition Mar 22 – Mercury at highest altitude in morning sky Mar 23 – Close approach of the Moon and M45 Mar 26 – Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter Mar 27 – Close approach of the Moon and M44 Apr 1 – 136472 Makemake at opposition – Full Moon Apr 2 – The Sombrero Galaxy is well placed Apr 3 – Mercury at greatest elongation west Apr 5 – Messier 94 is well placed Apr 15 – The Whirlpool Galaxy is well placed Apr 17 – New Moon Apr 18 – Messier 3 is well placed Apr 15 – Close approach of the Moon and M45 Apr 22 – Conjunction of the […]
BPAA’s Annual Meeting
The BPAA Annual Meeting was held at the Battle Point Observatory on Saturday January 10 and was attended by 20 members and staff.
January 17th Star Party!
After weeks of clouds and rain we finally had a clear night. Multiple telescopes were set up in the parking lot including Miles Starkenburg’s 14” (equipped with binocular eyepieces) in addition to our Takahashi 6” refractor, an 8” Dobsonian, and two Seestar (an S30 and an S50) telescopes. Additionally, the CDK on the roof was used in visual mode for the first time at a star party.
Astrophotography Special Interest Group Kickoff Meeting
The first Astrophotography Special Interest Group meeting was held on January 24th. An excellent turnout of 14 attendees filled the observatory’s library.
If you’re interested in joining this group of ~20 astrophotography enthusiasts, please contact Chuck (cawraith@bpastro.org) with your name and best contact information to get you in the loop.
Cosmic Conversations
The Aurora have been in the news recently. What are they? What causes them? Why are they Northern lights? Where do the colors come from? Why do they shimmer?
Come to Cosmic Conversations and share your questions and knowledge with your neighbors.