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 |
|---|---|
| March 16 | 8:00 p.m. |
| April 13 | 8:30 p.m. |
| May 18 | 8:30 p.m. |
| June 8 | 9:00 p.m. |
| June 29 | 9:00 p.m. (no board meeting) |
| July 13 | 9:00 p.m. |
| July 27 | 9:00 p.m. (no board meeting) |
| August 10 | 9:00 p.m. |
| September 7 | 8:00 p.m. |
| October 5 | 7:30 p.m. |
| November 9 | 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 canceled 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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Speaker | Topic | Note |
| January 24, 7pm | Janelle Burgardt | Astronomical Highlights 2013 | |
| February 28, 7pm | Dr. Bruce Twarog, KU | Mount Laguna Observatory | |
| March 28, 7pm | Dan Tibbets | H-R Diagrams | |
| April 25, 7pm | Gary Hug | Potentially Hazardous Asteroids | |
| May 23, 7pm | Janelle Burgardt | Älien Life in the Universe | |
| June 27, 7pm | Paige Caudle | TBA | |
| July 25, 7 pm | Eric Dose | the 2013 Society for Astronomical Sciences meeting | |
| August 22, 7 pm | Ed Woerner | TBA | |
| September 26, 7 pm | Farpoint | Farpoint | At Farpoint Observatory instead of the Library |
| October 24, 7 pm | |||
| November 21, 7 pm | |||
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.
| Board Meetings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Location | ||
| January 13, 2 pm | Pizza Hut, 500 SW 10th St, Topeka | ||
| February 17, 2 pm | Pizza Hut, 500 SW 10th St, Topeka | ||
| March 16 | 6:00 p.m. | ||
| April 13 | 6:30 p.m. | ||
| May 18 | 6:30 p.m. | ||
| June 8 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
| July 13 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
| August 10 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | ||
| October 5 | 5:30 p.m. | ||
| November 9 | 5:30 p.m. | ||
2013 Board meetings are scheduled for Saturdays. Generally Board meetings begin two hours before the public open house, at Farpoint, except in January and February which have no Open House. To recommend an addition to the agenda, Board Members or NEKAAL members may contact the Board Chair (Eric Dose) or President (Janelle Burgardt).