Sunset at 7:39 pm. The double star Cor Caroli and wonderful globular cluster M3 will also be visible. Galaxies M51 (the Whirlpool), M101 (The Pinwheel) will also be excellent. The Beehive, an open cluster in Cancer, will be observable as well as the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus. Planetary nebulae, like the Ghost of Jupiter and the Cats Eye Nebula will be visible. These are exploded star remnants.

Solar Eclipse viewing will be at the Moline library on 41st Street.

Eclipse viewing starts at 12:49am. The maximum is at 2:03pm and ends at 3:17pm.

Watch the eclipse through the safety of solar filter equipped telescopes and Solar Eclipse glasses will also be available while supplies last.

Public observing at the Rock Island Public Library, Watts Midtown Branch. Also a talk about the solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024, followed by night sky observing.

Project Next Generation at the Moline Public Library at 7:30pm about the solar eclipse observing on April 8th, 2024, followed by night sky observing.

Sunset at 7:15 pm. Evening objects include the fabulous Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster in Perseus, the beautiful double star Gamma Andromedae, the Beehive star cluster in Cancer, and the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus.

Sunset at 4:37 pm. The crescent Moon will make for an amazing sight at sunset, afterwhich the planets will again dominate the evening sky. As soon as it gets dark enough, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus all put on a great show. Jupiter's moons (Io, Europa Ganymede and Callisto) are all in a line and nicely visible. Double stars, open clusters, NGC253 (Sculptor Galaxy), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), M2 (globular cluster in Aquarius) will be among the featured objects along with many other beautiful deep sky objects that should be visible weather permitting.

East Moline Library Astronomy Night.

In case of bad weather, the rain day is November 3rd.

Sunset at 6:11 pm. This will be a great evening to observe the planets Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus. Of particular interest will be a transit of Jupiter by Io which will begin at 7:30 and continue to 9:30, during which Io's eclipse shaddow should be visible in our telescopes. Saturn will also be an awesome sight with beautiful rings and 5 moons (Titan, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus and Rhea) strung out in a beautiful line. The first quarter Moon will also be an excellent object. Other objects include Eta Cassiopeiae (double star), NGC457 (ET Cluster), along with M15 (Pegasus Cluster) will be among the featured objects along with many other beautiful deep sky objects that should be visible weather permitting.

Moved to Sept 23 because of rain on the 16th.

Sunset at 7:08 pm. Venus is a nice morning object, appearing as a 25% illuminated crescent. The planets Saturn and Neptune will put on a nice show once the sky darkens sufficiently, followed by Jupiter at 10:00 and Uranus shortly thereafter. M27 (the Dumbbell Nebula), M8 (Lagoon Nebula), M17 (Swan Nebula), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), Erakis (The Garnet Star) will be among the featured objects along with many other beautiful objects that should be visible weather permitting.

Riverdale Middle School, the River Valley District Library in Port Byron, and the Cordova Library. PAC will bring the Mobile Observatory and a number of telescopes for night time observing.

See https://www.rivervalleylibrary.org/events for more information.

Sunset at 7:52 pm. The Moon will be a thin crescent right after sunset with Mars and Mercury nearby, but very low in the sunward direction. Once Saturn rises after 9:00, the telescopes will provide nice views of the ringed planet. Neptune follows a bit later and Jupiter rises after midnight. Other objects are M11 (Wild Duck Cluster, a wonderful open cluster), M22 (Sagittarius Cluster), a very large globular cluster, Beta Scorpii (double star) along with the Lagoon, Swan and Trifid nebulas which will be among the featured objects along with many other beautiful deep sky objects that should be visible weather permitting.

Sunset at 8:32 pm. Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter & Uranus are nice moring objects along with a thin crescent Moon that rises jsut prior to sunrise. Immediately after sunset and with a little luck, Mercury may be visible for a few minutes. Venus and Mars will also be visible right after sunset. Venus displays a very nice, thin cresent in the telescope. Once it gets dark enough, we will target the Garnet Star, a very red, super giant star and Gamma Delphini (a double star) and M51 (the Whirlpool Galaxy), a colliding pair of galaxies. These will be among the featured objects along with many other open clusters and globular clusters, weather permitting.

Moved to July 8th because of rain.

The Popular Astronomy Club is presenting a public astronomy observing program hosted by the Illiniwek Campground. Telescopes will be set up by sunset about 8:40pm with observing beginning after 9:00pm.

Black Hawk Hiking Club members are invited to attend a sunset hike at Illiniwek, starting from the campground at 8:25pm to the overlook, and returning about a half hour after sunset to the campground for astronomy viewing. The public is invited to participate in both the sunset hike and the astronomy program. The viewing will continue as long as visitors are present, or until about 11:30pm.

Join us for astronomy night at the Silver Bell Alpaca Farm. PAC will bring our mobile observatory and a number of telescopes to view the night sky.

Sunset at 8:35 pm. Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus will be visible in the morning sky before sunrise. In the evening sky, Venus will be an interesting planet to observe as it will be a nice crescent shape in our scopes. The ghostly M57 (Ring Nebula), the remnants of a burned out, sunlike star,  beautiful blue & gold double star Albireo and many other double stars will be visible.  Fantastic globular clusters such as M13 (The Hercules Cluster) and M92 will grace the sky. Red Supergiant star La Superba and the amazing M104 Sombrerro Galaxy will be visible. The Cat’s Eye Nebula, another exploded star, will be among the featured objects along with many other beautiful deep sky objects that should be visible weather permitting.

Please join PAC to view the sun at the Giant Goose Conservation Area in Atkinson, IL. We will have several telescopes with solar filters to safely view the sun and it’s sun spots.

Sunset at 8:18 pm. The planets Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter and Mercury are morning objects with Mercury rising just before sunrise. Venus and Mars will be excellet targets in the evening sky. The dwarf planet Ceres presents itself in the evening sky also. Objects to view will start with are the globular cluster M5 (a giant sphere of stars), La Superba (a red, super giant star), M13 (Hercules Cluster) also another globular but among the ones most easily visible in the northern hemisphere. M104 (The Sombrero Galaxy) will be excellent as will The Ghost of Jupiter, remnants of a super nova explosion along with many other beautiful deep sky objects that should be visible weather permitting.

The Project Next Generation program is for students ages 10-18 and the general public. If the weather permits, PAC will have its telescopes setup in the parking lot. A number of planets will be viewable. Dress for Winter if you are going outside to view through the telescopes, it will be cold!.

Sunset at 7:39 pm. The planets Mercury and Uranus will be visible near each other low in the West for a few minutes shortly after sunset. Mercury will be a fairly large crescent, while Venus will show a gibbous phase. The Orion Nebula will still be visible in the southwest.  The double star Cor Caroli and wonderful globular cluster M3 will also be visible. Galaxies M51 (the Whirlpool), M101 (The Pinwheel) will also be excellent. The Beehive, an open cluster in Cancer, will be observable as well as the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus. Planetary nebulae, like the Ghost of Jupiter and the Cats Eye Nebula will be visible. These are exploded star remnants.

We have moved the day from 4-15-23 because of rain.

4-22-2023 cancelled because of snow!

The Steamer Success program astronomy night at Kewanee Central School. PAC will bring our mobile observatory and a number of telescopes to observe the night sky.

Cancelled because of snow.

We have moved our first public observing from March 18th to March 25th because of bad weather.

Sunset at 7:15 pm. Evening objects include the fabulous Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster in Perseus, the beautiful double star Gamma Andromedae, the Beehive star cluster in Cancer, and the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus. All make for interesting objects to observe. The planet Jupiter will make a brief appearance early in the evening right after sunset. Venus, Uranus and Mars complete the lineup of planets visible right after sunset. The dwarf planet Ceres is also visible later in the evening. A telescope will be needed to view Uranus and Ceres.

Temporarily postponed because of rain. The new day will be posted when known.

Astronomy Night at John Deere Middle School with science teacher Chad Potter. Students and their family are welcome. We will have the PAC Mobile Observatory and a number of telescopes for the public to view.

If weather conditions are bad, the rain days is March 28th.

Astronomy Night at John Deere Middle School with science teacher Chad Potter. Students and their family are welcome. We will have the PAC Mobile Observatory and a number of telescopes for the public to view.

If the weather conditions are bad, the rain day is March 28st.

The Project Next Generation program is for students ages 10-18 and the general public. If the weather permits, PAC will have its telescopes setup in the parking lot. A number of planets will be viewable. Dress for Winter if you are going outside to view through the telescopes, it will be cold!

If cloudy then Stellarium will be used to show the night sky and future conjunctions of planets with the moon.

Cancelled tonight! The winds, clouds and cold temperatures are too much for telescope views.

Sunset at 4:35 pm. The Moon rises 2 hours after sunset and is nearly full. Other objects include the fabulous Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster in Perseus, the beautiful double star Gamma Andromedae, the Beehive star cluster in Cancer, and the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus. All make for interesting objects to observe. The planet Mars will appear early in the evening after 6:00 pm. Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune will be easily seen through a telescope, being much closer than usual.

East Moline Library Fall Festival Program will feature PAC at Runners Park near the library. A number of planets will be viewable, including Neptune at its closest approach to our Earth.

Sunset at 6:17 pm. This will be a great evening to observe the planets Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus and Mars after 9:30. The gibbous Moon rises at 10:09 and will also be an excellent object. Two of Jupiter's moons (Io and Europa) will also put on a show starting at 10:05 when Europa begins to transit (pass in front of) Jupiter. At about 11:05, Europa's eclipse shadow should start to be visible on Jupiter's cloud tops. Then at 11:26, Io will be occulted by Jupiter (pass behind) and Europa's eclipse shadow will have scooted about a quarter of the way across Jupiter's disk. Satturn will also be an awesome sight with beautiful rings and retinue of 4-5 moons. Other objects include Eta Cassiopeiae (double star), NGC457 (ET Cluster), along with M15 (Pegasus Cluster) will be among the featured objects along with many other beautiful deep sky objects that should be visible weather permitting.

Join teacher Chad Potter and PAC at John Deere Middle School for Astronomy Night. Starting at 6:30 pm with better night viewing starting 45 minutes later.

We should be able to see the planets Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune, as well as various double stars, planetary nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.

Astronomy Night for the Girl Scouts at Camp Liberty.