Astronomy Club of Virginia Tech

11/07/2023

Hello! Astronomy Club of Virginia Tech is still going strong! Due to technical difficulties, we have moved to a new facebook account (https://www.facebook.com/astronomyclubvt) so be sure to follow us there to stay in the loop about the club happenings! We will not be deleting this account, as it serves as a wonderful archive of past posts and photos, but this is the last post on this account unless we can regain access. See you over there!!

★ the Astronomy Club of Virginia Tech seeks to provide a place for all those who love the stars ★

02/13/2018

Registration is open for the Staunton River Star Party, March 14-18 at Staunton River State Park (near Scottsburg and South Boston, Virginia).

For those that have not attended this party it is distinguished by being held at an International Dark Sky Park also designated by the State of Virginia as a Dark Sky Observing Area.

Staunton River State Park has been incredibly supportive of the party and dark sky preservation in the area. The Chapel Hill Observational and Astronomical Society has been an awesome co-host with the park. Everyone goes out of their way to make astronomers feel welcome, comfortable and well fed.

If you can make it to this star party, it's a great opportunity to observe the sky with other astronomy enthusiasts in a beautiful setting. The facilities are convenient, the food service is excellent and the park staff is second to none (no exaggeration).

Registration closes on March 7. More information and online registration is available at http://www.chaosastro.org/starparty/.

02/06/2018

**CURRENTLY DELAYED UNTIL 3:10PM EST**

SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is the heaviest launch vehicle since the Saturn V that landed people on the moon 50 years ago.

The first test flight of Falcon Heavy is targeted for Tuesday,
February 6th at 1:30 PM EST from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When Falcon Heavy lifts off, it will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two. For this test flight, Falcon Heavy’s side cores are flight-proven—both previously supported independent Falcon 9 missions in 2016.

You can watch it on:

http://www.spacex.com/webcast

Read more about it at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/science/falcon-heavy-spacex-launch.html

The first test flight of Falcon Heavy is now targeted for Tuesday, Feb. 6th at 3:05 PM ET from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams are watching upper level wind shear and will continue to update as information becomes available.

01/27/2018

Pretty stuff!

01/17/2018

Hi all, Open Houses will start back up this week. Tonight's (17 Jan) is cancelled. Please check the ACVT website (https://www.vtastroclub.org/) under Open House Announcements for all future announcements. Thanks! - Docent

The main purpose of the Astronomy Club of Virginia Tech is to promote the study of astronomy through public education in the Blacksburg community.

12/01/2017

There WILL be an Open House tonight (1 Dec) starting at 8:00PM.
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You may park your car at the top of the hill by the observatory.
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PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLOSE THE GATE BEHIND YOU AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL.

10/20/2017

There WILL be an Open House tonight (20 Oct) starting at 8:30pm. It's going to be a beautiful night! This may be one of the last warm-ish nights of the semester!

10/04/2017

Hi all, Open House tonight (4 Oct) starting at 8:30pm. Please plan on arriving towards the beginning of it as I tend to leave 30 mins after it starts if no one shows up.

09/25/2017

At our next meeting, we will be holding elections for the Webmaster position!

The position involves updating the website, checking and maintaining social networking accounts, and updating the Astronomy Club Calendar. Please let us know if you would like to run by emailing us at [email protected] and [email protected] and prepare a speech to support your candidacy.

We look forward to holding elections this Thursday, the 28th.

09/16/2017

Sorry everyone. Open House tonight (15 Sept) is canceled.

09/15/2017

Because 4 weather forecasts lied to me, it's most likely that the Open House tonight will be canceled. Please check back at 8:30pm for a final announcement.