February Planetarium Shows
Our weekly planetarium shows continue this month every Saturday at 12:30 and 2:30! Exact content is flexible based on audience interest, but common topics include constellations, planets, seasons, and astronomy history.
Women in STEM Book Club
Women in STEM Book Club had a great first session and we’re back in February with more!
Zoom Programming: What’s Up Next Month?
Erin Leigh Howard, Rubin scientist and BPAA Education Director will host one more free preview of what’s happening in the night sky in March. Bring your stargazing questions and join in a lively Zoom discussion!
WHAT’S UP(COMING)! – Observation Calendar Feb-Apr 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 February Night Sky” from our friends at the Astronomical League! Feb 1 – Close approach of the Moon and M44 – Full Moon Feb 17 – New Moon Feb 18 – Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury Feb 19 – Messier 81 is well placed – Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn Feb 20 – Mercury at highest altitude in evening sky Feb 23 – Close approach of the Moon and M45 Feb 26 – Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter Feb 27 – Asteroid 7 Iris at opposition Feb 28 – Close approach of the Moon and M44 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 […]
NASA Webb Pushes Boundaries of Observable Universe Closer to Big Bang
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has topped itself once again, delivering on its promise to push the boundaries of the observable universe closer to cosmic dawn with the confirmation of a bright galaxy that existed 280 million years after the big bang.
Why Are Tatooine Planets Rare? General Relativity Explains Why Binary Star Systems Rarely Host Planets
Astronomers have found thousands of exoplanets around single stars, but few around binary stars—even though both types of stars are equally common. Physicists can now explain the dearth.
Kissing The Sun: Unraveling Mysteries of the Solar Wind
Using data collected by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe during its closest approach to the sun, a University of Arizona-led research team has measured the dynamics and ever-changing “shell” of hot gas from where the solar wind originates.
New Dark Matter Map Shows the Universe in Detail
Scientists using JWST have created the largest and highest-resolution map of dark matter ever, shedding light on the universe’s evolution.
Dark Matter’s “Nightmare Scenario” Looks More Likely Than Ever
Our great hope is that today’s indirect, astrophysical evidence will someday lead to successful direct detection. What if that’s impossible?
The Ring Nebula Has an “Iron Bar”
The Ring Nebula in Lyra, also known as Messier 57, is the most famous planetary nebula in the sky. It’s also one of the most imaged and studied objects of its class. But when Roger Wesson (Cardiff University, UK) and his colleagues analyzed a series of spectra taken between May and June 2023, they found something completely new: An oddly shaped “bar” of ionized iron gas that crosses the nebula roughly from west to east along the elliptical ring’s major axis.