Visitors frequently ask "When can I see X". While many thousands of individual objects are visible throughout the year, most people want more general answers (e.g. When Can I see Andromeda {our nearest galaxy}) or are asking about the planets.
The following table is broken into lunations which agrees with how we schedule programs.
The table shows for each program which planets are visible. It also shows what kind of dark sky objects can be seen. These are described in more detail below
Weeks marked "new'ish" will start with a less than 33% moon. Deep Sky objects are more likely visible than on 1st quarter nights.
First Quarter nights are marked with the dark sky column blackened. The bright moon will affect what we can show.
Galaxies will likely not be visible. You should expect to see only brighter star clusters with decreased contrast. We may use filters to observe some nebulae, but they will lose their details. In the worst case scenario, where there is a lot of moisture in the sky, we may only be able to see double stars.
On these nights, we are less strict about the use of lights, and enough moonlight is usually present to cast shadows. If you have any concerns about your night vision, please visit us on a first-quarter night. All other nights are considered dark nights as described in tips
| Date | Moon Phase | dark sky | Planets | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22 | 3rd | galaxies | Jupiter, Mars | |
| Mar 29 | new | galaxies | Jupiter, Mars | |
| Apr 5 | 1st | moon, Jupiter, Mars | ||
| April 19 | 3rd | galaxies, globular clusters | Jupiter, Mars | |
| April 26 | new | galaxies, globular clusters | Mars | |
| May 3 | 1st | moon, Jupiter, Mars | ||
| May 24 | new | galaxies, globular clusters, Milky Way(late) | Jupiter, Mars | |
| May 31 | newish | globular clusters, Milky Way(late) | moon, Jupiter, Mars | |
| June 21 | 3rd | globular clusters, Milky Way | Mars | |
| June 28 | newish | globular clusters, Milky Way | moon, Mars | |
| Jul 19 | 3rd | globular clusters, Milky Way | Mars (early) | |
| Jul 26 | newish | globular clusters, Milky Way | moon, Mars (early) | |
| Aug 16 | 3rd | globular clusters, Milky Way | ||
| Aug 23 | new | globular clusters, Milky Way | ||
| Aug 30 | 1st | moon, Saturn (late) | ||
| Sep 13 | 3rd | Milky Way, Andromeda | Saturn (late) | |
| Sep 20 | new | Andromeda, globular clusters, fall galaxies | Saturn (late) | |
| Sep 27 | newish | Andromeda, globular clusters, fall galaxies | moon, Saturn (late) | |
| Oct 11 | Closed for Special Event | |||
| Oct 18 | new | Andromeda, globular clusters, fall galaxies | Neptune, Saturn | |
| Oct 25 | newish | Andromeda, globular clusters, fall galaxies | moon, Neptune, Saturn |
Jupiter will be visible until the end of May. Mars will be visible during the spring and summer programs. Saturn will be visible at the end of our August programs and more generally visible as we move into fall. We will likely only try for Neptune during our October programs.
Mercury and Venus will not make an appearance in the evening skies. Uranus similarly may only be visible from some outside scopes during our October Programs.
Rather than listing each visible object we have chosen to identify some generic objects. Most of the objects viewed will be from the Messier list.
FPOA has returned in in person lectures. As a supplement to our lecture we also present safety and information on how best to make use of the telescopes. The supplement will vary depending on what is up in the sky, but you can see the various lectures here.
Be sure to also watch our Video Tour as that contains some important safety information.
One would think easy - just look in the eyepiece; however, experienced visual observers such as those in our programs know that you need to be aware of some tricks as shown in this short video
Getting the most out of your viewing of Deep Sky Objects requires working around the limitations of your eyes. This short video will teach you some tricks.