Westport Observatory

Silhouette of BOB MEADOWS peering into a large telescope against a star-filled night sky with an orange horizon.

Westport Observatory Director BOB MEADOWS optimistically believes there's a chance we could see some stars tonight 3/4, so the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party is back on! If you see clouds at your home, it's best to find another activity. was-ct.org/programs/...

#WestportObservatory #StarParty

Aerial view of a white observatory tower with a domed roof surrounded by dry trees and grassy fields.

Star Party Update – March 4th

The Westport Observatory is socked in with clouds again tonight, so we're calling off this week's WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party. Mother Nature had other plans! See you next Wednesday.

#WestportObservatory #WAS #StarParty #Astronomy #WestportCT

Diagram showing the stages of the total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2026, with times for moon entering and leaving penumbra and umbra.

🌕🔴 Blood Moon Tuesday morning — East Coast good luck! Moon rises already in totality... straight into clouds. ☁️😭 Classic New England.

📖 skyandtelescope.org/...

#BloodMoon #LunarEclipse #WestportCT #March3

Teacher in a yellow sweater helping a young boy read a colorful book in a school library setting.

Homework battles at your house? Reinforcements have arrived.

The Westport Library are offering Near Peer Homework Help — high school students on site to help elementary and middle school kids.
🗓 Monday–Thursday
westportlibrary.org/...

#WestportLibrary #WestportCT #StudentSupport #NearPeer

Map showing the SpaceX rocket launch path from Florida northeastward with a red highlighted visibility zone along the East Coast.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to launch tonight at 7:34 PM. If all goes on time, the rocket’s bright exhaust plume should be visible from our area.

⏱ Look 4–8 minutes after launch
👀 Face the southeastern sky
🌤 Clear skies = best chance

#SpaceX #Falcon9 #Starlink #RocketLaunch #LookUp

Green Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1) passing by the Robin's Egg Nebula en route to the sun. Photo credit: Gerald Rhemann and Michael Jäger

Remember Comet Lovejoy? It skimmed the Sun and survived. Now Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1) is making the same dive. It’s brightened 100× and on April 4 will pass just 160,000 km above the Sun—inside the corona. Visible in mid-sized scopes under dark skies. spaceweather.com/

World map showing visibility zones and timing of the total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2026, with the moon rising and setting paths marked.

🌕 Total Lunar Eclipse Week!

On March 3, the full Moon turns copper-red during a total lunar eclipse — no telescope needed (weather permitting… rain and snow may crash the party).

Jupiter shines after sunset, and Orion still rules the night.

Details: skyandtelescope.org/...

Snow-covered observatory domes and equipment sit in a quiet, snowy field surrounded by bare trees under a clear sky.

Snow, snow… and more snow. We just dug out from the latest “Storm of the Century (This Week)” and now clouds seal the deal. The Westport Observatory is closed tonight, 2/25, for the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party. We’ll aim for clearer skies next week!

#WestportObservatory #StarParty #Astronomy

Sky map showing Saturn, Mercury, and Venus in Pisces constellation 20 minutes after sunset on Feb 20, viewed west-southwest.

This Week’s Sky (Feb 20–March 1) Clouds may win most of the week, but if you find a clear patch, look up. Jupiter shines after sunset, Saturn greets the dawn, and Orion rules the evening sky. Late winter is prime deep-sky time.

👉 skyandtelescope.org/...

#Astronomy #NightSky #WestportObservatory

Dark silhouette of leafless trees under a cloudy night sky with faint stars visible.

Clouds, drizzle, and general February murk mean the Westport Observatory will be closed tonight, 2/18. No stars. No planets. Gray.

We’ll be back next week for the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party — and hopefully under something that actually resembles a sky.

#WAS #WestportObservatory #StarParty

Bright green comet with a glowing nucleus and a long, luminous tail streaking across a star-filled night sky. (Image credit: Gerald Rhemann)

A city-size green comet is now visible in the night sky — but C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś) is just passing through. Blink and you’ll miss it — once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

Read more: www.livescience.com/...

#Comet #Astronomy #Interstellar #NightSky #SpaceNews #SolarSystem #C2024E1

Illustration of the International Axion Observatory telescope against a starry sky with event details for a live classroom session on February 17, 2026.

Live at the Westport Observatory Tonight – 2/17!

We’re welcoming Columbia University astrophysicist Yue Yu for a deep dive into frontier physics.

👉 was-ct.org/events/yu...

#Astronomy #WestportObservatory #WestportAstronomicalSociety #ScienceLecture #DarkMatter #Physics #Columbia #IAXO

Carl Lancaster's vivid view of the Orion Nebula showing swirling red and blue gas clouds with bright stars scattered throughout.

Catch up on everything happening at the Westport Astronomical Society — upcoming star parties, lectures, astrophotography highlights, K1WAS and what’s lighting up the winter sky.

mailchi.mp/was-ct/fo...

#WestportAstronomicalSociety #Astronomy #Stargazing #Connecticut #Astrophotography #Astrodon

Sky map showing Saturn near Pisces constellation and Mercury and Venus low on the horizon 30 minutes after sunset on Feb 13.

🌌 This Week in the Sky:
Venus & Mercury glow low in the west after sunset. 🌙 Feb 18 brings a crescent Moon near Mercury. Orion and Sirius shine bright after dark.

More: skyandtelescope.org/...

#astronomy #stargazing #space #nightSky #planets #Orion #Moon #Venus #Mercury #SkyAndTelescope

Weather map showing cloud cover and a rocket launch path from West Palm Beach to St. John's on Friday morning.

🚀 5:15 AM Friday the 13th: SpaceX Falcon 9 heads to the International Space Station. By 5:25 it’ll be near New England, nearly 200 km up.

Look up & southeast. Best chance: coastal pockets with breaks in the clouds.

#SpaceX #Falcon9 #ISS #RocketLaunch #LookUp

🚀 Almost full! NEON’s high school STEM research program has only a few spots left. Students use real telescopes and real data at the Westport Observatory. No fluff — real science.

Grab a spot: was-ct.org/programs/...

#NEON #STEM #Astronomy #WestportCT #HighSchoolSTEM

A snowy observatory complex with a dome telescope and adjacent buildings at dusk, surrounded by bare trees and a darkening sky.

Some passing clouds, but we’re on for tonight’s WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party (2/11)! 🌌

We open after 8pm. No Moon = prime deep-sky hunting. Great views of Jupiter and Uranus in the scopes. was-ct.org/programs/...

#WestportAstronomicalSociety #WestportCT #WestportObservatory #StarParty #DeepSky

New comet just showed up with some potential! Astronomers have spotted freshly discovered comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS)—and yes, there’s a chance it could become bright enough to see in daylight.

theconversation.com/...

#Comet #AstronomyNews #SpaceWatch #NightSky #DaylightComet #Stargazing #Science #MAPS

Illustration of the International Axion Observatory telescope against a starry sky with event details for a live classroom session on February 17, 2026.

Join us for an exciting evening with Columbia's Yue Yu, joining us live in the classroom exploring cutting-edge astronomy and the bleeding edge science shaping how we understand the universe.
👉 was-ct.org/events/yu...

#Astronomy #WAS #WestportObservatory #DarkMatter #Columbia #Physics #IAXO

Large telescope inside an observatory dome pointed at the night sky.

🌌✨ It’s finally back.
After weeks of clouds, snow, brutal cold and bad luck, the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party is ON tonight (2/4) after 8 PM at the Westport Observatory.

👉 Details: was-ct.org/programs/...

#StarParty #WAS #WestportObservatory #Stargazing #WestportCT

NEON logo with a glowing white neon effect behind a large asteroid against a starry space background.

🚀🔬 New STEM alert!

We’re launching an exciting new STEM class for students in grades 9–12, starting soon at the Westport Observatory.

👉 Details & signup: was-ct.org/programs/...

#STEMEducation #HighSchoolSTEM #NEON #Astronomy #ScienceClass #WestportCT #WestportObservatory

Promotional banner for an advanced astrophotography workflow tutorial by Michael Southam, hosted by Westport Astronomical Society.

📸✨ One week from tonight!
Ready to level up your astro game? Join us for an Advanced Astrophotography Tutorial at the Westport Observatory.

👉 Details & registration: was-ct.org/events/ad...

#Astrophotography #AdvancedAstro #NightSky #DeepSky #WestportObservatory #WAS #LearnAstro

An X1-class flare on Feb. 1, 2026.

🚨 Sunspot 4366 went from zero to monster fast—now almost 10× Earth’s width and already unleashed a triple M7–X1–M6 solar flare. More flares likely. Space weather’s heating up.
#SolarFlare #Sunspot4366 #SpaceWeather #Astronomy

Snow-covered path leading to a white observatory tower with a dome on top, surrounded by leafless trees under a gray sky.

With 13+ inches of snow on the ground and dangerously cold temps, the Westport Observatory will be closed tonight (1/28) for the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party. https://was-ct.org/

#WAS #WestportObservatory #StarParty #WeatherWins #SnowDay #AstronomyLife #Stargazing #ConnecticutWeather

Cartoon polar bear skiing with radio gear promotes K1WAS Winter Field Day event on January 24-25, 2026.

As odd as it may sound, because of the potential for extreme winter weather this weekend, the Westport Astronomical Society amateur radio station K1WAS will not be operating for Winter Field Day.

#WinterFieldDay #K1WAS #HamRadio #WestportCT #WestportObservatory #WestportAstronomicalSociety

Two small observatory domes covered in snow sit in a snowy clearing surrounded by leafless trees and evergreens.

Between the cold, clouds, and possible snow, the dome is staying shut tonight. Even astronomers have limits.

We’ll be back at it for the next WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party—clear skies pending.
👉 https://was-ct.org

#WestportAstronomicalSociety #WAS #StarParty #WinterSkies #Astronomy

CT is having a dispute over darkness. What both sides say about whether it’s a natural resource. “Natural darkness is a natural resource critical for our environmental well-being, including our ecology, the health of plants and animal and even our own health,” a resident contends.

A new report shows CT debating whether darkness is a natural resource. After 51 years, the Westport Astronomical Society has watched the Milky Way disappear. Smart lighting can bring the stars back. www.courant.com/2026...

👉 #DarkSkies #LightPollution #SaveTheNight #MilkyWay #Astronomy #WestportCT

Promotional slide for a James Webb Space Telescope lecture by Dr. Naveen Vetcha, featuring a galaxy image and event details for January 20, 2026.

Tonight at 8 PM in the Westport Observatory classroom: The Webb Space Telescope: The Journey So Far. Stunning images, real science, no hype.
Details 👉 was-ct.org/events/na...

#JWST #JamesWebb #Astronomy #SpaceScience #WestportObservatory #WAS

⚡☀️ Heads up, skywatchers! NOAA says a G4 geomagnetic storm is possible the night of Jan 19–20 as a CME from an X1.9 solar flare hits Earth. Auroras could light up northern states—and cameras may catch color as far south as AZ & TX.
👉 #AuroraAlert #SolarStorm #SpaceWeather #CME #AuroraBorealis

This X1.9-class solar flare on Jan. 18th launched a CME toward Earth

Sunspot 4341 fired off a long-duration X1.9 solar flare on Jan 18, triggering radio blackouts across the Americas. A full-halo CME is headed our way and could spark a G3 geomagnetic storm with mid-latitude auroras early Jan 20.
🔗 www.spaceweather.com/

#SolarFlare #SpaceWeather #CME #Sunspot4341