Welcoming the Dark: Star Party + Nature Walks
BPAA is partnering with the Bainbridge Island Land Trust for an evening at Hilltop, “Welcoming the Dark” on Saturday, September 19th, a few days before the Autumnal Equinox on the 23rd.
Astronomy
Women Who Changed the Universe – A Women in STEM Book Club
We’ve already discussed the accomplishments of Marie Curie, but you can still join us for the remainder of our fall book club exploring Vera Rubin and Mae Jemison through books about their lives, discoveries and journeys in science.
Back to School!
We’re officially back to school this month, which means that our STEAM initiative is back in full swing! Any K-12 school in Kitsap County is invited to come to the observatory for a free field trip to learn about the stars.
September Saturday Planetarium Shows
Our weekly planetarium shows continue this month on September 5, 12, 19 & 26, at 12:30 and 2:30!
Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG)
The next meeting of the Battle Point Observatory’s Astrophotography Special Interest Group will be on Saturday, September 19th, at 11 AM in the Gardiner Library inside of the Battle Point Observatory.
Meteor Magic Star Party
On August 8th, we partnered with Islandwood to host Meteor Magic: A Perseid Star Party!
Partial Lunar Eclipse
The Blood Moon had approximately 96% of its surface in the shadow of the Earth at 9:13 pm PDT on August 27. And that’s the time for the image above that John Black captured.
The Witch’s Broom (West Veil, NGC 6960)
Like Fleming’s Triangular Wisp from last month’s Observer, the Witch’s Broom is composed almost exclusively of ionized hydrogen (red) and double ionized oxygen (teal).
The most exciting part is that this image was taken over two nights last weekend using BPO’s very own rooftop telescope
WHAT’S UP(COMING)! – Observation Calendar Sep-Nov 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 September Night Sky” from our friends at the Astronomical League! Sep 1 – Aurigid meteor shower 2026 peak Sep 3 – Close approach of the Moon and M45 (Pleiades) Sep 6 – Conjunction of the Moon and Mars Sep 7 – Close approach of the Moon and M44 (Beehive Cluster) Sep 8 – Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter Sep 9 – September ε-Perseid meteor shower 2026 peak Sep 10 – New Moon Sep 22 – Venus at greatest brightness – September equinox Sep 25 – Neptune at opposition Sep 26 – Full Moon Sep 27 – Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn – Daytime Sextantid meteor shower 2026 peak Sep 22 – Asteroid 192 Nausikaa at opposition – Close approach of the Moon and M45 (Pleiades) Oct 2 – The Andromeda Galaxy is well placed Oct 4 – Conjunction of the Moon and Mars […]
Science with Astrophotography
If you’ve been involved in astronomy for any length of time, chances are you’ve encountered discussions on the value of amateur astrophotography. The fact is, astrophotography is a very large part of the science of astronomy.