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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 18h

☄️ Looking for an observing challenge this weekend? Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS makes its closest approach to Earth today, October 2! This periodic comet, discovered in 1983, returns to the inner solar system roughly every 21 years.

Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS appears as a faint, diffuse glow near the center of a star field, surrounded by short star trails. Captured by SJAA member Michael Madden using a Seestar S30 Pro telescope, with images stacked to track the comet's motion against the background stars.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

October is Orion Month! ✨ We're celebrating one of the most recognizable constellations and the incredible sights within it. Have you photographed Orion or any of its celestial treasures? Share your astrophotos with us! We'd love to feature what our community has captured. 🔭

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

🔭 SJAA Member Show & Tell is TONIGHT! Our members will share projects involving telescope hardware, DIY plate solving, Python, eclipse chasing, variable-star measurements, spectroscopy, sky-mapping software & ISS photography. 🧪 🔭 #bayarea 🕢 7:30–9:30 PM 📍 Houge Park ✨ Free & open to all!

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

🔭 Got astronomy gear gathering dust—or looking for something new-to-you? The SJAA Swap Meet is Sunday at Houge Park! 🕘 Doors open 9 AM for buyers & sellers 💰 No registration required 🏷️ Sellers: price items in advance ⏰ Ends ~11:30/noon 🧪 🔭 www.sjaa.net/learnresourc... #bayarea

sjaa.net

Viewing Locations - SJAA

SJAA Viewing Sites Here are some of the observing sites used by SJAA members and other amateur astronomers around the South Bay. Links to SJAA Sites and directions: The maps shown below are interactiv...

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🔭 What have SJAA members been up to? Come find out at our Member Show & Tell this Saturday! We'll have quick, informal presentations about eclipse travel, telescope hardware hacks, new astronomy software, astrophotography & observations. 🧪 🔭 #bayarea

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

🌌 Take an astronomical road trip through Chile’s legendary observatories—from La Silla and Paranal to APEX and ALMA. Along the way: the Milky Way under truly dark skies, incredible instruments, and why protecting darkness matters for astronomy. 🧪 🔭 www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA1U...

youtube.com

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🌙 Tomorrow is International Observe the Moon Night! On Sept. 19, join people around the world in celebrating our nearest celestial neighbor. No telescope required. Just step outside and look up! 🔭 🧪

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

🔭 What have you been up to, astronomically speaking? SJAA’s Member Astronomy Show & Tell is Sept. 26! Members can share telescope builds, favorite astrophotos, processing tips, astro-travel stories, eclipse observations & other astronomy projects. #bayarea

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🌌 SJAA Member Astrophoto! “Pelican Nebula Flying Over North America Nebula,” captured by Creighton Voon with a Seestar S30. The image combines 5-, 10-, and 20-second exposures totaling about 4 hours. 📸

Wide-field astrophotograph of the North America and Pelican Nebulae in Cygnus. Glowing reddish clouds of gas stretch across a dense field of stars, divided by prominent dark lanes of interstellar dust. The brighter curved edge of the North America Nebula appears at lower right, while the Pelican Nebula extends across the upper portion of the image.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

🌌 Not sure where to start when you look up? Start with something you recognize! September's evening sky is full of bright landmarks that can help you find your way. 🔭 #astronomy #astrophotography #space #nightsky

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

💥 An exploding star, captured by an SJAA member! SN 2026aaiv is a newly discovered Type Ia supernova in NGC 7331, about 40 million light-years away in Pegasus. It was discovered Sept. 1 and has brightened rapidly since. 🔭🧪

Astrophoto of a distant spiral galaxy, tilted on its side, set against a background of stars. A bright dot within the spiral arms is indicated by a green arrow. That dot is a newly discovered type Ia supernova. Text: Supernova 2026aaiv in NGC 7331.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

🌑 Your September dark sky window is here! From Sept. 5–13, evenings will be largely free of bright moonlight, making this a great time to look for faint deep-sky objects. Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters—the faint fuzzies are calling. 🔭 🧪

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Lunar eclipse TONIGHT! 🌕 Unfortunately, mostly cloudy skies may make viewing difficult here in the #BayArea. ☁️ But keep an eye out for breaks in the clouds! Eclipse details are below.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Bay area friends, check out our guide to this week's lunar eclipse! ⬇️

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

SJAA took astronomy to the Tech at Nite on July 30, and our volunteers chatted with visitors, including San Jose’s very own Hall of Fame mascot, SJ Sharkie! Join us at our next event! Check our Meetup link in bio for the calendar. 🔭🧪 #bayarea #techinteractive #science #astronomy #outreach

Text: Tech at Night, black letters on yellow background. Photos: SJ Sharkie and a museum patron are shown how the thermal camera works by an SJAA volunteer in a yellow shirt. A pair of patrons play the Astro Match game with two volunteers. A fourth volunteer explains how to use the planispheres. An early evening picture from the rooftop of the Tech Interactive museum with several telescopes, patrons, and volunteers waiting for sunset.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Look up this week! 🌠 One of the year's most reliable meteor showers reaches its peak on the night of August 12–13. Under dark skies, the Perseids can produce dozens of meteors each hour, with bright fireballs appearing anywhere across the sky. 🧪🔭

Text: The Perseids Are Back! One of the year's best meteor showers peaks Aug. 12–13. Background: Meteor seen against a starry night sky over trees.

Text: What are the Perseids? Every August, Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. As those tiny particles hit Earth's atmosphere at over 210,000 km/h, they burn up—creating the streaks of light we call meteors, or "shooting stars." Background: Diagram of Earth’s orbit passing through a meteor stream.

Text: Peak Night Wednesday night → Thursday morning, August 12–13. You may also see plenty of meteors on the nights before and after the peak. The best viewing is after midnight until dawn. Background: Meteor streaks against the night sky over rocky hills.

Text: Where to Look: Look anywhere in the sky. You don't need a telescope. Although the meteors appear to radiate from Perseus, they can streak across any part of the sky. Background: Graphic showing the radiant of the Perseids meteor shower.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

MOVIE NIGHT: August 22, 2026, 3:00 pm 🧪🔭👩‍🔬 Please join us for a movie in lieu of our usual monthly Astronomy talk!  We will be watching "Small Town Universe" followed by a brief Zoom talk with Katie Dellamaggiore, the filmmaker. Sign up at: www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy... #bayarea

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

PUBLIC TALK: July 25, 2026, 7:30 pm Hunt for Gravitational Waves: A story spanning the frequencies of space-time Join guest speaker Shan Parmar as he shares an overview of the targets for gravitational waves, the data analysis pipelines, and upcoming research. 🧪🔭 #bayarea

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

🌌 Challenge for tonight: Find the Summer Triangle! It's one of the easiest star patterns to spot and a perfect starting point for exploring the Milky Way. We've put together a quick guide to help you find Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Have you seen it yet this summer? ✨ 🔭

Image: Graphical representation of the Summer Triangle, showing stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair, credit to EarthSky.org. Text: Can you find the Summer Triangle tonight? It's one of the easiest landmarks in the summer sky—and your gateway to the Milky Way.

Image: Picture of bright star Vega in the night sky. Text: Look east after sunset. The first bright star you'll probably notice is Vega.

Image: Graphical representation of the Summer Triangle, showing stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair, with bright yellow stars. Vega is labeled in blue. Several other constellations are outlined as well. Text: Find two more bright stars: Deneb, Altair. Connect them… Congratulations! You found the Summer Triangle.

Image: Astrophoto of the Summer Triangle with the band of the Milky Way running through it, full of stars and clouds of dust and gas. Text: Now look closer… You're looking into one of the richest star fields in the Milky Way.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

With the Moon reaching the 3rd Quarter phase today (July 7), the “dark sky window” for this month has opened. This is the best time for viewing deep-sky objects without interference from bright moonlight. 🔭🧪 #astronomy #astrophotography

Sky chart of Ophiuchus which shows the location of the constellation in the night sky, major stars, and deep sky objects.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

July offers members plenty of reasons to step outside and look up. Watch for Venus shining brightly after sunset, a thin crescent Moon near Regulus on July 16, and the Full Buck Moon on July 29. Late in the month, the Delta Aquariid meteors begin to add a few “shooting stars” to the Summer sky. 🔭

Graphic entitled "Navigating the mid July Night Sky". Includes a sky chart for the Northern Hemisphere that features the galactic center around Sagittarius and Scorpius to the south. A lot of text is included with the graphic.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

On Wednesday, June 17, skywatchers in San Jose will have the opportunity to witness a rare celestial event: the waxing crescent Moon occulting Venus. Where to look: Look almost due east at midday. The Moon will be high in the sky (at an altitude of roughly 33 degrees). 🔭

(left) Stellarium graphic with a waxing crescent Moon in the daytime sky. To its left is and near the bottom is a bright white light that is Venus. (right) Stellarium graphic with the waxing crescent Moon now to the left of Venus, which is just to the center right.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

PUBLIC TALK: May 2, 2026, 7:30 pm We are adapting this presentation from our Astro 101 series for our public speaker program. During this hour, we'll go through the winter chapter of a four-part expedition across the seasons. 🧪🔭👩‍🔬 #bayarea

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

REMINDER about this Saturday's speaker event:

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

PUBLIC TALK: March 7, 2026, 7:30 pm Natasha Abrams is a 5th year astrophysics PhD student at UC Berkeley and will discuss the techniques we use to discover and characterize black holes and explore the frontiers of astrophysics! 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

SOLAR VIEWING: March 1, 2:00 - 4:00 pm Waiting your turn to look through a telescope? Check out science stations - fun hands-on activities for engaging with the cosmos! Play a game of Astro Match and explore our neighborhood of planets, stars, nebulae and galaxies. 🔭 #bayarea

Astronomy photos on a black picnic table with movable labels such as M83 South Pinwheel Galaxy, M11 Wild Duck Cluster, and M1 Crab Nebula to place on the matching images. A guide legend to the symbols on the labels is in the bottom right corner.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

SOLAR VIEWING: Tomorrow, February 1, 1:30 - 3:30 pm Come join us for today’s solar observing session. We expect amazing views of sunspots, solar prominences and filaments through our hydrogen-alpha and white-light filtered telescopes. Check the Meetup link in bio for more information! #bayarea 🔭

A telescope set up during the day time with a solar filter for looking at the Sun. Several people are in the background at a different telescope. A table of equipment is just behind the front telescope. Tennis courts are in the distant background. The sky is blue and clear.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

PUBLIC TALK: January 3, 2026, 7:30 pm PhD student Natalie LeBaron will explore how the universe transforms simple hydrogen into the rich diversity of atoms that build planets, life, and everything we see around us. 🔭 🧪 👩‍🔬 #bayarea Sign up at our Meetup: www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy...

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

PUBLIC TALK: December 6, 2025, 7:30 pm Dr. Zheyuan Zhu will introduce some history and fundamentals in optical imaging. 🔭 #BayArea Sign up at our Meetup: www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy...

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Our members are enjoying this comet season we have been given! Check out these two images of Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) taken by member Mike Madden using his Seestar. The first is from Monday, 27 October... 🔭 🧪

Photo of a comet set against the backdrop of the starry night sky. The comet’s coma and nucleus are at the bottom left, and the tail is angling up to the upper right. The very thin, faint portion of the tail continues nearly to the top of the image.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Weather permitting, the next Starry Nights public star party will be held on Saturday, November 15. The viewing site, Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve, is just 30 minutes south of downtown San Jose. #bayarea 🧪 🔭

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

PUBLIC TALK: November 1, 2025, 7:30 pm Dr. Bruce Macintosh will discuss the first-ever images of other solar systems – and the technology that has allowed us to discover them, such as the Gemini Planet Imager – as well as the future planet-hunting space telescopes. #bayarea 🔭 🧪

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Member Sudhir Bud managed to capture C/2025 A6 Lemmon about a week ago in the eastern skies from Palo Alto, California, around 5 am during a brief dark hour between moonset and sunrise. 🔭 🧪

Photograph of a pale green comet with a bright, fuzzy coma and long tail that reaches up and to the left. The background is full of stars.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

The shadow of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, transited Saturn from Earth's vantage point on October 5, 2025. Luckily, member Christos Gougoussis captured the transit using his Celestron C11 telescope and ZWO ASI462MC camera. 🔭 🧪

Black background. Somewhat grainy image of Saturn, with the rings almost edge on to our view from Earth. At the ten o’clock position, a dark spot is seen. That is the shadow of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

As the waning gibbous Moon rises on Thursday, October 9, it will be passing in front of the famous Pleiades star cluster (aka Messier 45). This type of event, known as an occultation, occurs when one celestial object temporarily blocks the view of another object. 🔭 🧪

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Join SJ Astronomy for our next Starry Nights Star Party - Saturday, October 11, 2025, 7:30 pm. 🔭 🧪 You must be a member of the SJ Astronomy Meetup group to register to attend (it's free): www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/ Link for October 11 Starry Nights registration: www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy...

Black background, white text. Text: by SJ Astronomy - Starry Nights Star Party - Saturday, October 11, 2025, 7:30 pm. RSVP on Meetup. Inset image: Banner of stars and star clusters across the middle of the graphic.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Member Brad Haakenson captured this lovely image of the entire Veil Nebula on Monday night, September 22, 2025. It was a beautiful night at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve – warm with no dew and very clear. The seeing even improved through the night. 🧪 🔭

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Astrophotograph of the entire Veil Nebula, seen as wisps of gas and dust forming a variety of shapes, from the hooded Eastern Nebula on the left to Pickering’s Triangle in the middle and the Witch’s Broomstick on the right.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Member Michael Madden captured interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using his Seestar S50 on September 13, 2025, at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve during a Starry Nights event. The Seestar was able to capture about 40 minutes of light until 3I/ATLAS disappeared below the ridge to the southwest. 🔭

Astrophotograph showing numerous stars. In the center are two red lines, one vertical and one horizontal, indicating the location of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, seen as a faint fuzzy dot trailing a fuzzy tail to the lower right.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Timelapse of the sunspots from the last Solar Sunday at Houge Park, September 7, 2025. This timelapse was captured over 2 hours, with over 8,000 pictures taken. It was taken on a Seestar S30 by member Creighton Voon. #space #science #astronomy #astrophotography

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

PUBLIC TALK: October 4, 2025, 7:30 pm Our October meeting is for you to share your unique telescope builds, tell the story behind your favorite astro-photos, pass on image processing tips, or share brief astro-travelogues. 🔭 🧪 #BayArea Sign up at our Meetup: www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy...

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Reposted by San Jose Astronomical Association

David Blanchflower BSc @davidbflower.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Tomorrow morning Venus continues to appear close to the Beehive Cluster. 🔭 🧪 🎨 #astrophotography #SciArt #photography

The beehive cluster of star dots at centre. Planet Venus disc lower right of frame.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Another great image from last week’s event at the Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve! This picture of the Western Veil Nebula (Caldwell 34) and Pickering’s Triangle comes from member Kal Krishnan, using two hours of data with a dual-band (L-Enhance) filter on his Astro DSLR. 🔭 🧪

The Western Veil Nebula is in the upper right, curving from top to the right, shown in purples and pinks. Pickering’s Triangle is on the left and “pointing” toward the center. Background stars fill the image.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Member Doug Loyer captured this fantastic image of the Elephant Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) earlier this week from the Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve. Collection and processing detail: Askar 120 APO, 63 x 60s images, ASI533MC, ZWO Duo Filter Processed using Nebula Magic 🔭 #astrophotography

A red nebula reaches up through the night sky, vaguely shaped like the trunk of an elephant. Several bright stars dot the foreground of the image while many smaller stars are scattered throughout.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Apologies, everyone! The date on the graphic is correct: September 6, 2025, 7:30 pm. #bayarea 🔭 🧪

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

PUBLIC TALK: July 12, 2025, 7:30 pm Dr. Katya Arquilla will discuss how long-duration exploration missions present challenges more intense than those encountered in low-Earth orbit. Sign up: www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy... #astronomy #bayarea 🔭 🧪

Text: THE TALK: The Challenges of Crewed Long-duration Exploration Missions to the Moon and Mars With Dr. Katya Arquilla, September 6, 2025, 7:30 pm, Houge Park, San Jose, CA. Inset photos: (top left) Photo of Dr. Katya Arquilla sitting in a NASA chair in front of two monitors and looking back at the camera. (top right) A group of four scientists in numbered space suits, working together with a robot dog in a Mars analog site on Earth. (bottom) A panoramic view of the Mars analog site, with red sedimentary rock in the foreground and thicker layered rock cliffs in the background, plus four scientists in orange jumpsuits on top of a mound.

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San Jose Astronomical Association @sjastronomy.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

A rare Titan shadow-transit season is happening now! Saturn’s largest moon is casting its shadow on the ice giant every 16 days through early October. So grab a telescope (3-in+), aim at dawn, and don’t miss this once-in-15-years chance. 🔭 🧪 skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...

skyandtelescope.org

Titan Shadow Transit Season Underway

Titan shadow transits are rare, occurring only about every 15 years. Don't miss the chance to see one this observing season.

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Reposted by San Jose Astronomical Association

David Blanchflower BSc @davidbflower.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Tomorrow Jupiter continues to appear close to Venus. Look east from around 3am. If awake enjoy the sight, if asleep have nice dreams. 🔭 🧪 🎨 #astrophotography #SciArt #photography #StormHour #ThePhotoHour

Planet Venus dot below centre. Planet Jupiter dot above centre.

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Reposted by San Jose Astronomical Association

EarthSky @earthskyscience.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Would you like to see the #Andromeda galaxy? Here's how. 🌌 Tonight, try star-hopping to the Andromeda galaxy - 2.5 million light-years away - from the constellation #Cassiopeia. If your sky is dark, you might even spot this hazy patch of light with no optical aid. buff.ly/zgwwj0y 📸 EarthSky.

Star chart of constellations Cassiopeia and Andromeda with labeled Andromeda galaxy between them.

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