- 8:00PM to 8:30 Club Business
- Open Business
- Schedule Club Observing night
- 1st Friday Florance
- 2nd Saturday Tscumbia
- Observing 8:30 to 10:00PM
- The Observatory will be open.
- Bring your Binoculars, Cameras, Telescopes, Lounge Chairs.
- Dress for the Weather!
- LaGrange College Park Historic Site
Watch Shoals Astronomy Club Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shoalsastro/about_details/ page for Schedule changes or weather cancellations.
For an interesting astronomical event, Mel has informed us that on June 9th, there will be a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. This is of particular interest to some because it is theorized to be one of the explanations for the appearance of the “Christmas Star” that the wise men followed to find Christ in the biblical story. Those who follow astrology believe it to be a particularly “lucky” conjunction as well.
Here’s more info:
How to see the conjunction: https://www.astronomy.com/observing/sky-this-month-june-2026/ (It’s better viewed through binoculars)
Christmas Star theories: https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-star-of-bethlehem-can-science-explain-what-it-was/
Future Calendar
- TBD
- Observing Tools
- https://www.astroleague.org/navigating-the-night-sky-guides/
- http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html
- https://www.neafexpo.com/videos
- https://stellarium-web.org/
- https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/club/news/459/
Welcome!
If you own cameras, binoculars or a telescope, and you enjoy getting lost under an inky black sky filled with stars, you’ve reached the right place. We’re a local group of backyard astronomers and stargazers, formed for a shared curiosity about the tiny place we occupy in this magnificent universe, and the amazing views this hobby provides.
Club meetings are generally held on the last Friday of each month at the UNA Planetarium and Observatory in Florence, and at LaGrange College Historic Site in March and September. The public is always welcome to our meetings.
If weather permits, we also set up telescopes during First Fridays Florence — sometimes at the corner of Tennessee and Seminary, and others at Court and Mobile.
If you have questions, please contact us via email (shoalsastro@gmail.com), or visit our Facebook page. Clear skies!
Amateur Astronomy for the Tennessee Valley
