How long has it been since you saw the stars under a really dark sky? When the Milky Way actually looked like milk? And there were more stars than you could count.
Come to a Public Open House at Farpoint Observatory. NEKAAL members will be there to answer your questions, you'll feast your eyes on amazing sights, and have a great time.
Want to know more? Check out our Star Party page.
Driving instructions to Farpoint are located on our observatory page.
| Date | Start Time | Date | Start Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 19 | 9:00 p.m. | September 18 | 8:00 p.m. |
| July 17 | 9:00 p.m. | October 2 | 7:30 p.m. |
| August 14 | 8:30 p.m. | November 13 | 7:30 p.m. |
Group tours or observing sessions are scheduled on an individual basis, by contacting the Astronomy Program Director.
If an Open House is cancelled due to cloud cover, a message will be posted on the observatory phone (785-806-2070).
NEKAAL's General Meetings are the 4th Thursday of each month, with the exceptions of November (3rd Thursday) and December (date announced each year). Guests are always welcome to join us for the General Meetings and/or observing out at Farpoint.
These meetings are always open to the general public, free of charge. The meetings usually include speakers or presentations covering a wide range of topics relevant to astronomy.
General Meetings are held at the Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library, 10th and Washburn, unless otherwise noted
| General Meetings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Speaker | Topic | Date&Time |
| May | Brad Hutton | Imaging by the Numbers - Part II | Thursday, May 27, 7:00pm |
| June | Barbara Anthony-Twarog | Astronomy from Space | Thursday, June 24, 7:00pm |
| July | Dan Tibbets | A Primer on Nuclear Fusion | Thursday, July 22, 7:00pm |
| August | TBA | TBA | Thursday, August 26, 7:00pm |
| September | TBA | TBA | Thursday, September 23, 7:00pm |
| October | TBA | TBA | Thursday, October 28, 7:00pm |
| November | TBA | TBA | Thursday, November 18, 7:00pm (*third Thursday) |
| December | Holiday Party | Sunday, December 12, 3:00pm (*location TBA) | |
The weekends closest to new moon are reserved for observing by NEKAAL members. Requests to schedule the observatory for another purpose on these dates should be directed to the Astronomy Program Director.
| Club Observing Weekend Schedule 2010 | |
|---|---|
| May 14-15 | September 10-11 |
| June 11-12 | October 8-9 |
| July 9-10 | November 5-6 |
| August 6-7 | |
To get your article in bi-monthly Observer you need to submit your article by these dates.
| May 24 | Sept 24 |
| July 24 | Nov 24 |
Board meetings are two hours before the public open house each month at Farpoint.