Middle Tennessee Space Society

MTSS at Montgomery Bell State Park star party 6/5

Chuck Schlemm, with MTSS and BSAS, arranged a successful star party at Montgomery Bell State Park Friday June 5, 6-10:30 pm, at the ball field. Ranger Runkle said there were an estimated 50 guests.

From 6:00 to 7:00, Steve Hilliard and Chuck Schlemm did solar observing in white light and H-alpha with 10 walk up guests before it slipped below the trees. We had good views of 8 sunspot groups and Steve had a great view of a prominence I estimated at 20,000 miles high and 60,000 miles wide!

I found and showed Venus and Jupiter while Steve showed last glimpses of the sun. We saw Venus at about 65% gibbous phase which many guests were able to see. Jupiter showed its stripes in the blue sky and as the sky darkened we could see the 4 Galilean moons with Europa and Ganymede almost looking like one.

Other BSAS members brought their scopes and helped show the night sky to our guests.

The clouds and haze were intermittently blocking our views, but we did have views of Polaris, Vega, the Double Double, Mizar & Alcor, Antares, M4 globular cluster, Regulus and more. We also pointed out constellations, asterisms and several satellites. One guest told me the Big Dipper is known as the "Seven Stars of the North“ in Korea.

7/31 is our next planned Montgomery Bell star party. Hoping for clear skies.

Chuck Schlemm
Middle Tennessee Space Society
Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society

🎓🛰🎓🚀🎓☀️🎓🌑🎓

Our congratulations go to Bridget Lynam on her recent high school graduation.

Bridget has been a Middle Tennessee Space Society and National Space Society member since 2024 and has helped present our “Apollo to Artemis and Beyond” exhibit at several events at the Nashville Adventure Science Center and Fairview Naturefest.

We wish her a bright and exciting future as she heads to the University of Alabama at Huntsville and plans to major in aerospace engineering and minor in planetary geology. Maybe we’ll see her on the Moon or Mars one day.

Congratulations Bridget.

Chuck Schlemm

President, MTSS

Starship Flight 12 - V3 Debuts with Max Power, and Fast Landing...

SpaceX had a good flight of their new Version 3 Starship with beautiful launch and Indian Ocean splashdown. Another step closer to the Artemis 4 landing on the Moon.

https://youtu.be/2kxanBYTAaY?si=C3QulVYSJ5oojxlL

Sent from my iPhone

MTSS 2026 events 5/16/26

Please let me know if you want to help at any of them. Or if you know of any other possible events we can share our knowledge and excitement of space exploration.

January
1/9. Dyer Observatory Telescope Night. APOLLO TO ARTEMIS AND BEYOND exhibit. Canceled
1/31. Warner Park star party with BSAS. 6:00-8:00. Clouded out.

February
2/6. Vanderbilt University Commons Ball at the Commons Center 9:00-midnight. AAB direct with ~60 of ~1500.
2/13. “G”alentines Craft Fair at Montgomery Bell Lodge. 4:30-6:30 Sun, Jupiter & 3 moons, Saturn, Titan. ~25 viewers.
2/19. Davidson Academy Makers Faire. 5:30-7:30. AAB direct with ~50 of ~250.
2/21. Engineering Week at Adventure Science Center. 9-5:00. AAB direct with ~150 of their 1,328 guests.
2/21. Shelby Bottoms Star Party 6:30-8:30 pm. Clouded out.
2/28. Shelby Bottoms Star Party 6:30-8:30 pm. ~120 of ~500 guests.
2/? Dyer Telescope Night. Canceled.

March
3/9. HAL5 SLS Program in Huntsville. 5-7:00. DNA
3/21 Fairview Recreation Center star party with BSAS. Telescope observing. 8-10:00. ~250 viewers.
3/29 Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn. “The Planets”. AAB 1-5:00. ~100 of ~1300 guests.
3/? Dyer Telescope Night. Canceled.

April
4/1 Artemis II launch o the Moon.
4/11 Bells Bend Outdoor Recreation Expo with BSAS. 8-4:00. DNA
4/12. Yuri’s Night. Anniversary of 1st human spaceflight 1961 and 1st space shuttle flight 1981. No event.
4/18. THE MARTIAN at Belcourt Theater. 1-6:00. AAB & Mars rovers. Spoke with ~120 of ~300 guests.
4/23. Stoner Creek Elementary STEAM Night 5-7:00. AAB. Spoke with ~100 of ~800 guests.
4/24. Star Trek 60th Anniversary at Adventure Science Center AAB 7-10:00pm. Spoke with ~100 of ~350 guests.
4/25. Bells Bend BSAS star party. 8:30-10:30. ~300 viewers.
4/? Dyer Telescope Night. Canceled.

May
5/1 Montgomery Bell SP star party. Solar viewing 6-8:00. Star viewing 8-10:00. 12 viewers.
5/22. Cosmic Baseball Glow In The Dark baseball with telescope observing? 5:30-10:00.
5/23. Warner Park star party with BSAS. 9-11:00.
5/29 Full Moon Pickin’ Party 6-10:00. Telescope viewing. Venus, Jupiter, Moon.
5/? Hidden Lake Trail star party with BSAS 8:30-10:30.
5/? Dyer Telescope Night. Canceled.

June
6/5 Montgomery Bell SP star party. Solar viewing 6-8:00. Star viewing 8:30-10:30.
6/19-20. Star Wars ICCC’26 Imperial Commissary Collectors Convention. Embassy Suites, Murfreesboro. 10-4:00. AAB
6/20 Cornelia Fort Air Park star party with BSAS. Telescope observing. 9-11:00.
6/26 Full Moon Pickin’ Party 6-Kim 10:00. Telescope viewing. Venus, Jupiter, Moon
6/? Adventure Science Center 9-5:00. SPACE month.
6/? Hidden Lake Trails star party. 9-11:00.
6/? Hidden Lake Trails Junior Ranger astronomy program. 8am to 12pm.
6/? Dickson Library 5:30-7:00.
6/? Dyer Telescope Night. Canceled.

July
7/18 BSAS star party 9-11:00.
7/24. Full Moon Pickin’ Party 6-10:00. Telescope viewing. Venus, Moon
7/31 Montgomery Bell SP star party. Solar viewing 6:30-8:30. Star viewing 9-11:00.
7/? Bowie Park summer camp “Star Seekers”. 3-9:00.
7/? NaNoCon’25 Montgomery Bell park. 4-12:00.
7/? Dyer Observatory 8-10 pm.

August
8/5. Nashville Public School Science Content Day. AAB.
8/14. Full Moon Pickin’ Party 6-10:00. Telescope viewing. Venus, Moon
8/15 Bells Bend Star party with BSAS. 8:30-10:30
8/21 Montgomery Bell SP star party. Solar viewing 6:00-7:30. Star viewing 8-10:00.
8/27 Dyer Observatory Lunar Eclipse 8-10 pm.
8/? Warrior Con at Fort Campbell 11-5:00.
8/? Dyer Observatory 8-10 pm.

September
9/5? Outside Con’25 at Montgomery Bell SP 8-10 pm.
9/8? Star Trek 60th Anniversary.
9/19? International Observe the Moon Night at US Space & Rocket Center, AAB, 5:30-8:00 pm.
9/19. ? Naturefest in Fairview’s Bowie Nature Park. 9-4:00. Space exhibit and Solar viewing.
9/19. ? Warner Park star party with BSAS. 7:30-9:30.
9/25. Full Moon Pickin’ Party 6-10:00. Telescope viewing. Venus, Saturn, Moon
9/? Harding Academy STEM Night. 6-7:30.
9/? Dyer Observatory 8-10 pm.

October
10/10? Bowie Park Fall Fun Day.
10/10? STEAM Festival at Discovery Center in Murfreesboro. 12-4:00.
10/16. Montgomery Bell SP star party. Solar viewing 4-5:00. Moon viewing 5-6:30. Star viewing 7-10:00.
10/17. BSAS Star Party. 7-9:00.
10/24? Bowie Park Trunk or Treat. Astronomy
10/24? Boofest in Dickson Holland Park 5-8:00. Moon and Saturn viewing.
10/31? Haunting at Henslee Park in Dickson 6-8:00. Moon and Saturn viewing.
10/? Mound Bottom Harpeth River State Park star party with BSAS? 7-9:00?
10/? Dyer Observatory 8-10 pm.

November
11/14. Bells Bend star party with BSAS. 6-8:00.
11/? Harpeth Harvest Festival at Hidden Lake 10-3:00 astronomy exhibit.
11/? Dyer Observatory 7-9:00 pm.
11/? Gateway Elementary Space Day. 9-3:00.

December
12/12. Shelby Bottoms star party 6-8:00 with BSAS.
12/18? “Winter Solstice” at Warner Park Nature Center 4-7:00. Viewing and astronomy exhibit.
12/? Dyer Observatory 8-10:00 pm.

DNA- Did Not Attend
AAB- APOLLO TO ARTEMIS AND BEYOND exhibit

Chuck sent this so I wanted to share. 🖖

Robert Zubrin on Why Humanity Must Go to Mars.

Appearing recently on Tim Ventura Interviews, a popular YouTube science and technology news program, Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin discusses the future of human Mars exploration, the search for past or present life on the Red Planet, and why establishing a permanent human presence on Mars is essential for the long-term future of our civilization.

The wide-ranging conversation also explores current NASA strategy for beyond Earth exploration, mission architecture concepts, advanced propulsion ideas, and the growing international push toward becoming a multi-planetary species.

To watch the full online interview with Dr. Zubrin, please click here.

Note: I could not get a link to the Reddit page that hosts the video. It might be the source, Reddit, as I got a warning about the source.

Hi all,

I presented the MTSS “Apollo to Artemis and Beyond” spacecraft exhibit Sat, Apr 18 from about 1:00-6:30 at the Belcourt Theater as part of their Science On Screen series.

They screened THE MARTIAN at 2:30 followed by presentations by:
Dr Tracie Prater, a materials and processes engineer at United Launch Alliance, and
Chris Crumbly, a Systems Engineering Technology Instructor, Calhoun Community College who was manager of NASA’s Space Launch System’s Payload Integration Office at Marshall Space Flight Center.

I also showed a full table of Mars rover explorers: Sojourner, Spirit & Opportunity, Curiosity & Perseverance and the Chinese Zhurong rover from their Tianwen-1 mission. I also had the Ingenuity helicopter and 2 potential Mars bases along with a scale Mars globe and its moons.

I spoke with ~120 of their ~300 guests including meeting past astronaut Dr. Drew Gaffney, who spoke with me about some studies he did on radiation effects on Mars astronauts. He flew on STS-40 Space Life Sciences (SLS 1) Space Shuttle mission in 1991. Now cardiology professor at Vanderbilt.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon and evening. I hit to talk with m as by enthusiastic guests about Artemis II and future Moon landings. And signed up more new MTSS members.

Chuck Schlemm
Middle Tennessee Space Society
NASA Solar System Ambassador

Hi all,

I did public observing at the BSAS and Dyer Observatory Bells Bend star party Saturday 4/25. We had about a dozen telescopes and had a great time sharing astronomical views with ~300 guests, pretty constant from 7:30 till 11:00.

I started early with views of 7 groups of sunspots just before sunset, then the Moon and it occulting the star Regulus in Leo the Lion. I moved to views of Venus, maybe Uranus, Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons lined up on one side in orbital order with Io and Europa “coming together as one” at 11:00.

I also showed Betelgeuse, Pleiades, the Orion Nebula and Mizar A&B and Alcor.

Chuck Schlemm
Middle Tennessee Space Society
Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society

Hi all,

I arranged and held the star party at Montgomery Bell SP 5/1. 2 other BSAS astronomers set up their telescopes. Clouds and cold kept us to 12 guests, but we still had a good time sharing our views.

I did solar observing ~5:30-6:30 with views of about a dozen sunspots through hazy clouds. One guest came specifically to see the sun. When the sun set I showed him Venus in the blue sky.

Later we had views Jupiter and 4 Galilean moons (Io came out of eclipse about 9:38), Arcturus, Mizar A&B and Alcor, a binary star in the Big Dipper, star clusters in Auriga, M-81 Bode’s Galaxy, and hazier views of the Moon by 10:00. I pointed out Tycho, Grimaldi, Plato and Mare Crisium.

My thanks to Ranger Eric Runkle and MBSP for letting us share the night sky.

Next BSAS star parties are 5/23 at Warner Park and 6/5 at Montgomery Bell.

Chuck Schlemm
Middle Tennessee Space Society
Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society

Hi all,

I presented the “Apollo to Artemis and Beyond” spacecraft exhibit at Stoner Creek Elementary’s STEAM night 4/23/26 in Mt. Juliet. I enjoyed 2 hours of sharing space exploration exhibits with over 800 students and parents and speaking directly to ~100. See pics below.

I explained models of Apollo, STS, ISS and the planned Axiom commercial space station. I showed Artemis’ SLS and Orion and SpaceX and Blue Origin’s lunar landers. I also had models of a possible future Artemis Moon base and products made from Moon-like basaltic materials.

Kids also experienced the gravity of five worlds using my “planetary” milk jugs. I talked about the planets using globes and a solar system poster. I invited many to BSAS star parties.

The SCE STEM teacher thanked me for bringing our exhibit and said the children were very excited to see more about the Artemis II mission.

I look forward to future events and hope you can join us.

Chuck Schlemm
MTSS President
NASA Solar System Ambassador