Too many clouds and that dangerously cold weather will keep our volunteers at home so the Westport Observatory is CLOSED tonight 2/19. We hope for clearer skies and warmer weather for the next WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party in a week. https://was-ct.org
The Wolf Moon Swallows Mars! It's the January 2025 Westport Astronomical Society Field of View Newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/was-ct/fov_january_2025
The 3 USGS seismic detectors at the Westport Observatory detected another earthquake off the coast of Pacific island nation Vanuatu 8,480 miles away. This time it was a 6.1 mag temblor. Interesting to see it give a good shake up/down and east/west when it arrived in Westport. https://ow.ly/eLHe50Uvvm2
The 2025 WAS Calendar Is On Sale Now! Please support the Westport Astronomical Society and grab some of these amazing 13 month calendars featuring our members spectacular astrophotography! Available at all of our public events and by mail. This is a very limited one time batch - Get yours today!
https://mailchi.mp/was-ct/2025-calendar
#WestportAstronomicalSociety #2025 #WestportObservatory #2025Calendar #Astrophotography #Astrodon #Astronomy #GivingTuesday #WestportCT
The thin clouds over the Westport Observatory are expected to continue to thicken up making for a poor night of astronomy fun. WE ARE CLOSED TONIGHT 10/30. We'll try for the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party next week. Have a great Halloween!
We expect a few passing clouds as we open up the Westport Observatory tonight 10/23 at 8 pm for an evening of Fall deep sky observing at the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party. On the menu: No Moon tonight, but Saturn and its moons shine in the South, distant and dim Neptune hides nearby in Pisces, a telescopic goodbye to quickly exiting Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and your universe! Photo: Alex Kuhn
https://was-ct.org/events/the-was-weekly-wednesday-star-party/
The sun is reaching the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. Scientists said Tuesday that they conclude the sun is at the peak of "Cycle 25" and will remain there for another year or so before activity starts to subside. That peak of activity has resulted in brilliant auroral displays, but solar storms that produce auroras also threaten satellites and the electrical grid. https://www.space.com/solar-cycle-25-max-phase-more-sun-storms
Photo: WAS Member Regina Olshan captures the Aurora over the Westport Observatory
Comet A3 is just spectacular now and visible about 45 minutes after sunset. It has a massive tail and very easy to see naked eye. Shannon Calvert caught it setting above the observatory tonight 10/14. It is quickly getting higher every night.You can actually see the anti-tail in front of the comet. They appear when Earth passes through a comet's orbital plane.
A Month Of Sky Surprises! It's the October 2024 Westport Astronomical Society's Field of View Newsletter and it is CHOCK FULL of amazing photography from Team WAS! https://mailchi.mp/was-ct/fov_october_2024
October '24 has already been a month many of us will never forget, but it's about to get even better with the arrival of Comet A3. Appearing just after sunset, the comet will quickly rise moving away from the glare of the sun and glide to the South as it retreats back into the outer solar system. However, over the next week or so, we could be rewarded with some gorgeous naked eye and binocular views. Here's how to see C/2023 A3: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/get-ready-for-comet-tsuchinshan-atlas-the-best-is-yet-to-come
Well, that was something, wasn't it? We're still going through the hundreds of photos that friends and random folks with a cell phone sent of the "Once in 20 years" event. Thanks everyone! We're getting a lot of "I missed it and can I see it again" emails too. Last night, 10/10, we had a Kp8 event - which means anything over a Kp7 you can see in CT. It was visible in Mexico! Tonight it's forecast as a Kp5, so it's unlikely we'll see anything like last night, but you don't know if you don't look. Next up sunset views of Comet A3!
A large solar storm is about to hit Earth once again tonight 10/10 and the aurora forecast showing the chance of seeing the Northern Lights tonight is about as good as it can get with a KP index of 8 it is highly likely (maybe?) that the sky show starts after sunset and continues through the evening. As we saw previously, sometimes a hot forecast fizzles out, so go out and see for yourself. If you don't see anything - try again later! https://solarham.com/geo_forecast.htm
While the planet was skunked last night on seeing any northern lights, we just got this in from friend of WAS Jennifer Coderre in Burlington VT and our astrophotographers are starting to see a little bit of green and purple in the skies around CT. Probably best seen through a camera but there is - something - out there... 
Share what you see and we'll post our photos soon!
While the other CME's that were headed towards Earth didn't amount to much of anything; tonight's arriving CME should make the skies a little more interesting. Notice where that red line drops down and slices through the center of Connecticut - with expected clear skies and a sliver of a moon, anywhere near or North of that line you have a better than usual chance of seeing the Northern Lights this evening 10/5. https://solarham.com/geo_forecast.htm
With these CME's racing off the surface of the sun and headed towards Earth, there's a chance that we could see some aurora pop up around the world starting this evening and through the weekend. While Saturday night into Sunday morning looks like when the strongest of the CME's will arrive, the smaller ones could get the skies rocking in northern tier states tonight, 10/3. Look north! https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/major-solar-flare-may-spark-bright-aurora-tonight/
Those pesky clouds are going to hanging around a little too long for us to be able open up the Westport Observatory tonight 10/2 for the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party. WE ARE CLOSED. We'll try again next week and let's keep those fingers crossed that by next week we could see a bright comet at sunset and -maybe- some Northern Lights soon too! https://was-ct.org/events/the-was-weekly-wednesday-star-party
Clouds will keep the telescopes of the Westport Observatory put away this evening 9/25 so we are CLOSED for the WAS Weekly Wednesday Star Party. We hope to see you soon and we're keeping an eye on bright comet C/2023 A3 (Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS). We can't see it in the morning from the observatory because of trees but we should be able to open for sunsets in October - if it's clear! https://was-ct.org
