Welcome to the KVAS Website!
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society is a non-profit educational organization. We are dedicated to the promotion of amateur astronomy in and around the West Virginia area and work closely with local schools and the Avampato Discovery Museum at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society operates and maintains Breezy Point Observatory, located at Camp Virgil Tate, near Cross Lanes, West Virginia. This rolling-roof design observatory houses the club's 12" computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope. Financial support for the purchase of our telescope was provided by a grant from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. Breezy Point Observatory is host to many of the club's monthly meetings as well as a number of star parties each year.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society is also co-sponsor of Blackwater Falls Astronomy Weekend and Green Bank Star Quest. Central Appalachian Astronomy Club along with Dominion Resources are our partners for Green Bank Star Quest. Blackwater Falls Astronomy Weekend is possible thanks to the cooperation of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Blackwater Falls Astronomy Weekend is held every fall at Blackwater Falls State Park. Green Bank Star Quest is held every summer at the Green Bank National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Both of these events are highly educational and well worth the trip.
Meetings
Meetings are held the third Friday of the month. The regular monthly meetings are held at 7:30 PM at the Hansford Senior Center, 500 Washington Street, St. Albans, WV 25177. Occasionally the meeting may be held at the observatory or another location. If so, the address and directions will be noted in the "Next Meeting" area.
Next Meeting
Regular meeting at 7:30 pm on Friday, March 16 at the Hansford Center in St. Albans.
Hansford Senior Center
Links
Regional Clubs
Central Appalachian Astronomy Club
Ohio Valley Astronomical Society
Northern Virginia Astronomy Club
Tri-State Astronomers
Morgan County Observatory Foundation
WVU Astronomy Club
Astronomical Club of Southern West Virginia
Shenandoah Astronomical Society
Organizations
Space.com
NASA
International Dark-Sky Association
McDonald Observatory
Astronomy Magazine
The Astronomical League
Sky and Telescope Magazine
Binocular Review Site
Astronomy Picture of the Day
SpaceWeather.com
AccuWeather
Lunar and Planetary Institute
Dealers
Astronomics
Celestron
Criterion Machine Co. LLC (WVa.)
Scope Stuff
R.F.Royce Precision Optical Components
Santa Barbara Instrument Group
Meade Instruments Corporation
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars
Nite Sky
February-March 2012
Moon Phases: New 2/21, First Quarter 2/29, FuIl 3/8, Last Quarter 3/14, New 3/22, First Quarter 3/30
Events: 2/25 at dusk - 7 brightest objects: W-moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, E-Mars, SSE-Serius S-Pleiades. 2 AM 3/11 Daylight Savings Time begins. 1:14 AM 3/20 Vernal Equinox.
DRACO (Right) (DRAY-koh) The huge ancient Dragon Thuban (white giant Alpha Draconis, Magnitude 3.6) which, due to the earth's 28,000 year precession cycle, was the pole star in 2700 BC. NGC4236 is a large type SB+ galaxy, 9.6 Magnitude.
URSA MINOR (ER-suh MY-ner) The little Bear is also ancient and its feature is the Pole star Polaris, a huge creamy-white super giant 820 light years away with a 9th Magnitude companion 18 1/2 arc seconds away.
CANES VENATICI (KAH-nez ve-NAT-eh-see) The modern Hunting Dogs alpha star is Cor Caroli, a wide double (Magnitude 2.9 & 5.4) separated by 20 arc seconds. M51 is the famous Whirlpool Galaxy and M3 is a top globular cluster 35,000 light years away & 200 light years across. Barred spiral galaxies (G Sb) include M63, M94, & M106.
COMA BERENICES (KOH-mah bear-eh-NEE-seez) Berenice's Hair was sacrificed by Queen Berenice to bring Egyptian King Ptolemy III safely home from battle. M53 is a big globular cluster. M54 The Blackeye Galaxy (type Sb) is most unusual and a scope larger than 4" is needed to resolve the dust cloud. NGC 4565 is an edge-on spiral galaxy. The Coma Galaxy Cluster has more than 3,000 members, is 20 Million light years across & 300 Million light years away.
VIRGO (VER-go) The Maiden or Virgin is one of the oldest and most important constellations. It contains the North Galactic Pole with the Virgo Cluster of more than 2500 galaxies 50 mega light years away. Elliptical galaxies include M87 (huge, surrounded by 4,000 globular clusters & with an intense radio source, Virgo A), M84 and M86 are in the same field. M49, and MI04, The Sombrero Galaxy, (need 8" scope.) 3C273 is the 1st and brightest quasar some 3 billion light years away (need a scope larger than 8".)
CORVUS (KOR-vus) The Ancient Crow features NGC 4261 (one of the largest planetary nebulas) and 4038 & 4039, colliding galaxies with a huge radio source.
Moon Phases: New 2/21, First Quarter 2/29, FuIl 3/8, Last Quarter 3/14, New 3/22, First Quarter 3/30
Events: 2/25 at dusk - 7 brightest objects: W-moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, E-Mars, SSE-Serius S-Pleiades. 2 AM 3/11 Daylight Savings Time begins. 1:14 AM 3/20 Vernal Equinox.
DRACO (Right) (DRAY-koh) The huge ancient Dragon Thuban (white giant Alpha Draconis, Magnitude 3.6) which, due to the earth's 28,000 year precession cycle, was the pole star in 2700 BC. NGC4236 is a large type SB+ galaxy, 9.6 Magnitude.
URSA MINOR (ER-suh MY-ner) The little Bear is also ancient and its feature is the Pole star Polaris, a huge creamy-white super giant 820 light years away with a 9th Magnitude companion 18 1/2 arc seconds away.
CANES VENATICI (KAH-nez ve-NAT-eh-see) The modern Hunting Dogs alpha star is Cor Caroli, a wide double (Magnitude 2.9 & 5.4) separated by 20 arc seconds. M51 is the famous Whirlpool Galaxy and M3 is a top globular cluster 35,000 light years away & 200 light years across. Barred spiral galaxies (G Sb) include M63, M94, & M106.
COMA BERENICES (KOH-mah bear-eh-NEE-seez) Berenice's Hair was sacrificed by Queen Berenice to bring Egyptian King Ptolemy III safely home from battle. M53 is a big globular cluster. M54 The Blackeye Galaxy (type Sb) is most unusual and a scope larger than 4" is needed to resolve the dust cloud. NGC 4565 is an edge-on spiral galaxy. The Coma Galaxy Cluster has more than 3,000 members, is 20 Million light years across & 300 Million light years away.
VIRGO (VER-go) The Maiden or Virgin is one of the oldest and most important constellations. It contains the North Galactic Pole with the Virgo Cluster of more than 2500 galaxies 50 mega light years away. Elliptical galaxies include M87 (huge, surrounded by 4,000 globular clusters & with an intense radio source, Virgo A), M84 and M86 are in the same field. M49, and MI04, The Sombrero Galaxy, (need 8" scope.) 3C273 is the 1st and brightest quasar some 3 billion light years away (need a scope larger than 8".)
CORVUS (KOR-vus) The Ancient Crow features NGC 4261 (one of the largest planetary nebulas) and 4038 & 4039, colliding galaxies with a huge radio source.