Riverside Astronomical Society

04/07/2026

The telescopes, observatories, and science programs at Mt. Wilson are iconic. Tim Thompson has been involved with the mountain top for decades — he'll give us an overview of activities at Mt. Wilson over the years. He might answer a chess question or two as well. Join us at our next club meeting to enjoy his presentation!

https://www.rivastro.org/ras-meetings.php

04/04/2026

Amazing images from the Orion space capsule during the Artemis II mission. Both images are of the night-time side of the Earth. If you zoom in, you can see the night lights of larger cities on the planet.

The images have been rotated 180 degrees to put Earth's north pole at the top of each frame. Photos were taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's windows after the translunar injection burn was completed on April 2. The images were captured with a Nikon D5 at ISO 51200 with a focal length of 22mm on the camera lens. The top image was taken on April 3 at 12:27 am at f/4, 1/4 second exposure. The bottom image was taken right after the first, at f/5.6 and 1/15 second exposure.

You can see auroras at the top right and bottom left in the first image. The Zodiacal Light can be seen on the top left, visible as the Earth eclipses the sun. The bright dot of light to the upper left is Venus.

02/28/2026

This month’s full moon (March 3 at 3:38 am PDT) is known as the Worm Moon. It was believed that this name referred to earthworms appearing as soil warms in early spring; however, historical research points to Captain Jonathan Carver recording in the 1760s that the moon’s name referred to beetle larvae emerging from thawing tree bark. Check out more, along with information about the total lunar eclipse the night of March 2-3 here: https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-march

02/28/2026

We have a total lunar eclipse coming up during the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 3. It will be the last one visible from Riverside, CA until June 2029. The eclipse starts at 1:49 am and ends at 5:17 am here in Riverside (you can check for timings at your location with a quick web search). If you just want to get a look during totality, take a look between 3:03 am and 4:02 am.

This is a short video about the eclipse that I put together and shared as part of my Chief Observer's Report at our February 21 club meeting. Eclipse timings for Riverside are shown at the end of the video.

02/20/2026

Get ready for a total lunar eclipse in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 3rd! This one is kind of special because another total lunar eclipse won't be visible from southern California from start to finish until 2029! (Totality begins after moonset for the December 31, 2028 lunar eclipse.)

Totality for this one starts at 3:33 AM on Tuesday, March 3rd. Assuming the sky is clear, get outside to view the Blood Moon!

How do we know all this? Science!!!

This photo is of the 1/31/2018 total lunar eclipse taken from GMARS in Landers, CA.

02/16/2026

Our mext monthly meeting is coming up this Saturday! Don't miss it! Get more info here > https://www.rivastro.org/ras-meetings.php

02/12/2026

Our next star party is happening this weekend. Friday night looks like it'll be clear. Saturday night... not so much.

https://www.rivastro.org/starparty.php

02/12/2026

Did you miss the RAS's Nightfall 2025 in Borrego Springs? Catch up on what you missed (or reminisce if you were there) in this short video from the talented Greg Meyer!

Highlights from the Nightfall 2025 star party in Borrego Springs, CA. This short video features event activities, the observing field, and aerial drone foota...

02/05/2026

GMARS is here whenever you’re ready! The next star party at GMARS is February 13th thru 15th. ⭐️🔭

http://www.rivastro.org/starparty.php

Riverside Astronomical Society

01/29/2026

Don't forget to join us this Saturday (1/31) at 6:30 PM! 🌟 Cossentine Hall at La Sierra University in Riverside 🪐 Free 🔭 Fun 🌌 Educational ✨ Awesome ☄️

We have a very special guest at our next monthly meeting! Join us at La Sierra University for a presentation from the always-entertaining and always-engaging Alex Filippenko of UC Berkeley! You may have seen him on any one of a number of shows about science, astronomy, and/or astrophysics.

Click for more details: 🔭🪐💥☄️✨
https://www.rivastro.org/ras-meetings.php

01/28/2026

Seven astronauts were lost in the explosion of Space Shuttle mission STS-51-L forty years ago today. Challenger took with her:

• Dick Scobee, commander
• Michael J. Smith, pilot
• Ronald McNair, mission specialist
• Ellison Onizuka, mission specialist
• Judith Resnik, mission specialist
• Gregory Jarvis, payload specialist
• Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist, teacher

Today, we honor and remember you.

01/20/2026

We have a very special guest at our next monthly meeting! Join us at La Sierra University for a presentation from the always-entertaining and always-engaging Alex Filippenko of UC Berkeley! You may have seen him on any one of a number of shows about science, astronomy, and/or astrophysics.

Click for more details: 🔭🪐💥☄️✨
https://www.rivastro.org/ras-meetings.php