Central Texas Astronomical Society

06/11/2026

Reminder: We will have our monthly members-only Star Party on Saturday, June 13.

On June 20, we will host our monthly Open House & Observatory Tours **open to the public** from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Weather permitting, tours will include a glimpse through the 24" telescope in the Paul & Jane Meyer Observatory. Plan to join us for a great evening!

To join us, check out our website at:
https://www.centexastronomy.org

06/09/2026

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED!
Please plan to join us for our next visitor open house at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 20! Visitors can learn more about the Central Texas Astronomical Society, take a tour of the observatory, and stargaze through some excellent telescopes. (weather permitting) We hope you will join us!

To join us, check out our website at:
https://www.centexastronomy.org

06/06/2026

Thank you to Les Bennett for the great pics from the CTAS May Open House and the Purtis Creek State Park Star Party! This was the first event at Purtis Creek State Park. Some of our members met members of the East Texas Astronomy Club. According to our president, David Smith, “There were roughly 10 telescopes setup. A small Newtonian by the park ranger, my SeeStar 50, a couple SCT by the club members, and a few by visitors. The crowd attendance was estimated at 100+.” If you aren’t already a member, become one soon so you can attend our next Star Party for Members on June 13!
To join us, check out our website at:
https://www.centexastronomy.org

06/05/2026

Thank you to Les Bennett for the great pics from the CTAS May Open House and the Purtis Creek State Park Star Party! This was the first event at Purtis Creek State Park. Some of our members met members of the East Texas Astronomy Club. According to our president, David Smith, “There were roughly 10 telescopes setup. A small Newtonian by the park ranger, my SeeStar 50, a couple SCT by the club members, and a few by visitors. The crowd attendance was estimated at 100+.” If you aren’t already a member, become one soon so you can attend our next Star Party for Members on June 13!
To join us, check out our website at:
https://www.centexastronomy.org

06/02/2026

At the Central Texas Astronomical Society, we enjoy exploring the wonders of the night sky and learning about the objects that travel through our solar system. Recently, news reports highlighted a meteorite that reached the ground in Massachusetts, accompanied by a loud BOOM that surprised many residents. Events like this spark curiosity about the differences between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites.
Did you know there is an organization dedicated to studying these fascinating objects? The American Meteor Society provides educational resources about meteor showers, observing tips, photos and videos, terminology, and much more. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced skywatcher, it's a great place to learn more about these visitors from space.
To join us, check out our website at:
https://www.centexastronomy.org

To visit the American Meteor Society at:
https://www.amsmeteors.org

05/28/2026

You don’t have to be an expert astrophotographer to join us, but if that’s your aspiration, we have people who are happy to share their knowledge with you!
Today’s image of the Rosette Nebula is courtesy of our Central Texas Astronomical Society member, Tim Bear (.photos on Instagram). Tim’s astrophotography hobby has evolved to advanced level. In the beginning, many astrophotographers simply point and shoot photos of the sky. As the hobby evolves to an advanced/expert level, many astrophotographers like Tim will acquire a list of tools like the ones Tim used for this photo:
Mount: iOptron CEM60 (tracks the sky to keep stars perfectly still during long exposures)
Scientific ED102 - telescope (gathers light)
Starizona ApexE-L 0.65x - reducer (widens field/speeds optics)
ZQO ASI294MM Pro - main camera (captures the image in monochrome)
Filters - used to isolate specific wavelengths (adds color)
Guide camera + OAG (corrects tracking errors)
The data for the photo was acquired over six nights and then processed using Deep Sky Stacker, GIMP, Siril to arrive at this incredible final photo.
Thank you, Tim (.photos)! 😊

To join us, check out our website at: https://www.centexastronomy.org

05/26/2026

If you’re new to astronomy or if it has been years since you had a telescope, you might be asking, “What is a smart telescope?” Smart telescopes automatically align, track targets in the sky, and can process images. These types of telescopes are beginner-friendly, portable, and have integrated tools to help users. After doing an informal poll of some of our members, it seems that Seestar is the brand many members use to observe the night sky. Of course, there are other brands as well that you can find with a quick online search.

05/21/2026

We look forward to welcoming everyone in Clifton for our public Open House & Star Party on Saturday! If you plan to attend, please register on the events calendar at: www.centexastronomy.org

05/21/2026