Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs

Astronomy Movie Matinee! James Webb Space Telescope on IMAX at the AMC Forum 30 in Sterling Heights - Sat. Feb. 21st 1:00 pm.

Several members of the Warren Astronomical Society will be attending this movie, and there's a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins right nearby for gastronomy after astronomy!

Deep Sky brings the awe-inspiring images captured by NASA's Webb Telescope to IMAX — taking audiences on a journey to the beginning of time and space, to never-before-seen cosmic landscapes, and to recently discovered exoplanets, planets around other stars.

Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn and narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams, Deep Sky follows the high-stakes global mission to build JWST and to launch it into orbit one-million miles from Earth, in an attempt to answer questions that have haunted us since the beginning of time: Where did we come from? How did the universe begin? Are we alone? Thirteen billion years in the making,

Deep Sky reveals the universe as we have never seen it before; immersing audiences in the stunning pictures beamed back to earth by NASA’s new telescope — and capturing their vast beauty at a scale that can only be experienced on the giant IMAX screen.

Tickets available here: https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/deep-sky-82515
Theater address: 44681 Mound Road, Sterling Heights, Michigan 48314

Jupiter from the Webb Space Telescope (APOD: 2026 Jan 18)
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; Processing: Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) & Judy Schmidt
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260118.html

Explanation: This infrared view of Jupiter by Webb is illuminating. High-resolution infrared images of Jupiter from the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) reveal, for example, differences between high-floating bright clouds -- including the Great Red Spot -- and low-lying dark clouds. Also clearly visible in the featured Webb image are Jupiter's dust ring, bright auroras at the poles, and Jupiter's moons Amalthea and Adrastea. The footprint of large volcanic moon Io's magnetic funneling of charged particles onto Jupiter is also visible in the southern aurora. Some objects are so bright that light noticeably diffracts around Webb's optics creating streaks. Webb, which orbits the Sun near the Earth, has a mirror over six meters across making it the largest astronomical telescope ever launched -- with over six times more light-collecting area than Hubble.

https://www.nasa.gov/
https://www.esa.int/
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/
https://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-execution/approved-programs/dd-ers/program-1373
https://www.ehu.eus/es/web/doktoregoa/doctorado-fisica/profesorado?p_redirect=fichaPDI&p_idp=195381
https://www.ehu.eus/es/home
https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/

Starship Asterisk* • APOD Discussion Page
https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260118

Rings around infant stars

Not all rings are forged in fantasy, my precious!

For astronomers, they are found in space and are debris discs. These are the leftovers of planet formation around stars and studying them is key to understanding the birth of planetary systems.

You can admire 24 of them in these images by ALMA Observatory. The orange ones show the distribution of dust, and the blue ones of gas.

The origin of gas in debris discs is debated, and the disc in the two images at the top-right is very interesting in this regard. Here's why: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2603a/

📷 ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Marino et al.

With WDET 101.9FM – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

Images from our annual Astronomy at the Beach event. We had the pleasure of hosting 3000 members of the public over two nights.

A very big thank you to our keynote speaker Br. Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J for two entertaining and compelling talks about Saturn.

Another big thank you to Sean Pickard who gave talks on electronic telescopes.

To all our member clubs, this event happens because of your passion for Astronomy and your love for outreach and sharing your knowledge and experiences with the members of the public.

And finally, a special thank you to the meme era of the public that attend our annual event. Our event started 29 years ago and continues to grow in popularity year after year. We love to see returning participants just as much as first timers. We hope you all had a wonderful event and look forward to seeing you all back in in 2026 for our 40th year of Astronomy at the Beach.

On behalf of the board and planner committee of the Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs, we thank each and every one of you for making the event a success.

Volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Connie Martin-Trembley doing hands-on with meteorites at the Warren Astronomical Society's table at Astronomy At The Beach Saturday. She had a crowd in front of her the entire evening!

Larry Lebofsky's meteorite kits with a magnet were a HUGE hit!

Send a message to learn more

Michigan’s largest star party expects thousands of stargazers, more than 50 high-tech telescopes This weekend is The Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs annual event bringing together 15 astronomy clubs in Southeast Michigan.

Newly-discovered comet is glowing green, only visible once every 22,000 years Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is a new visitor from our outer solar system. It may be easier to see as it approaches Earth next week.

Just 5 more days to Astronomy at the Beach 2025 hope to see you all there.

Starting Friday September 26th at 5PM until midnight and again Saturday September 27th again starting 5 PM till midnight.

VENUE: Kent Lake Beach in Island Lake State Recreational Area.

Come observe with us. If you have a telescope bring it, if not, no worries we will have lots of telescopes for you to look through.

Hope to see you there

The keynote speaker for Astronomy at the Beach, Br. Guy Consolmagno, is the president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

The VOF runs the ACME workshop in January - a 4-day event that is fantastic for Catholic educators! Sign up now!