Latest News and Posts

  • What’s in the name Uranus?

    FAS Astronomers Blog, Volume 32, Number 5. William Herschel was the most famous astronomer of the eighteenth century. So much so, that Heinz Pagels called the first major section of his book Perfect Symmetry as “Herschel’s Garden.” On March 13, 1781, Herschel accomplished something that no one else had done in modern times. He discovered…

  • Public Solar Observation at Pilot Mountain State Park (Saturday, May 25 from 10 AM to Noon)

    WEATHER UPDATE: This event will take place. Conditions are not ideal, but should be good enough to get some solar views. FAS will hold a public solar observation at the Pilot Mt. State Park Visitors Center on Saturday, May 25, from 10 am to 12 Noon. Solar telescopes will be available to safely view the…

  • Public Solar Observations This Summer

    During the summer scheduling observations of the night sky is somewhat problematic because of the long days and short nights. It just gets dark too late. But fear not! During the day the Sun is out and we at the Forsyth Astronomical Society will bring out our telescopes (with the appropriate solar filters) for some…

  • Black Hole Visualizations

    The folks at NASA’s Goddard Flight Center just published two interesting videos about black holes. “New NASA Black Hole Visualization Takes Viewers Beyond the Brink.” NASA. May 6, 2024. Evidently it is also Black Hole week. NASA has some more information. For even more on black holes, see our previous astronomy blogs.

  • May 2024 FAS Meeting (Wednesday, May 8)

    Please join us for the May meeting of the Forsyth Astronomical Society on Wednesday, May 8. The meeting will be held at the new Kaleideum at 120 West 3rd Street downtown in Winston-Salem, NC. FAS members will regale us with their adventures chasing the April 8 Solar Eclipse.  Right Eclipse Images Credit: Sean Wood. You…

  • Astronomical League Resources / Recursos de la Liga Astronómica

    The Astronomical League has just expanded its resource section (Night Sky Tools). You can find monthly maps of the night sky in both English and Spanish. See our Night Sky page for links to many of these charts. They also have several useful handouts, including an eight page introduction to stargazing and the night sky.…

  • Gravity

    FAS Astronomers Blog, Volume 32, Number 4. Objects fall to the ground. That’s the nature of things on the surface of the Earth, and everywhere else. Gravity is something that humankind has been familiar with since ancient times. Drop something and it falls to the floor. Jump up and you end up back on the…

  • Public observation at Stone Mountain on Saturday, April 27

    WEATHER UPDATE: This event is canceled due to forecasted heavy cloud cover Saturday night. On Saturday, April 27, the Forsyth Astronomical Society will host a public astronomy observation at Stone Mountain State Park. It should be dark enough to observe by 9:30 PM. This event is weather-dependent. The post on the FAS Website and the…

  • The Spring Night Sky

    Winter is over and the leaves on the trees are starting to come out. The flowers are blooming, and the birds are chirping. It’s still time to view the night sky before it gets dark too late during the summer. Here are some notes taken from two earlier FAS Astronomer Blogs. The Night Sky In…