Next Astronomy Event
ZANESVILLE ASTRONOMY CLUB
An affiliate of the NASA Night Sky Network
The June FREE Astronomy Club event will begin at 9:30 PM on Saturday, 13 JUNE. Meet at the Rogge Pavilion beside the Lewis Observatory on the Ohio University Zanesville campus.
JUNE HIGHLIGHTS
Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune can be found in the eastern sky in the early morning hours. On 8-9 June, there is a nice conjunction of Jupiter & Venus in the west after sunset. Around 10 June, Mercury will be visible below the pair for several days. On 19 June, Venus and the Beehive Cluster have a close encounter in the west after sunset. This would be a nice binocular target.
Cygnus(the Swan) can be found high in the northeast with its brightest star Deneb marking the bird's tail. Near to Deneb is the North America Nebular(NGC7000). It's 1,700 LY from Earth and is 100 LY across. Messier39 is a bright open cluster 824 LY from Earth. It sits to Deneb's lower left. Cepheus(the King) is where you can find the Garnet star, a red supergiant 1600 times larger than our Sun. It is on the edge of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula. Cassiopeia(the Queen) is fairly low in the north, its familar W shape beginning to rise.
JUNE EVENT CALENDAR
Look for the Moon to find objects. That is an easy way to find objects by sight, then use your binocs or scope to zoom in on the event.
01 Moon at apogee
07 Pollux 4.7 degrees S of Venus
08 Last Quarter Moon
09 Jupiter 1.6 degrees N of Venus
13 Pleiades Cluster 0.9 degrees S of Moon
14 Moon at perigee
15 New Moon
15 Mercury 24.5 degrees E of Sun
16 Venus, Jupiter & Mercury lined up in west after sunset all week
16 Mercury 2.6 degrees S of Moon
17 Conjunction of Moon & Venus near Beehive Cluster
17 Jupiter 2.5 degrees S of Moon
17 Venus 0.3 degrees S of Moon
17 Beehive cluster 0,6 degrees S of Moon
18 Pollux 6.4 degrees S of Mercury
19 Regulus 0.3 degrees N of Moon
10 Behive Cluster 0.4 degrees N of Venus
21 Summer Solstice
21 First Quarter Moon
23 Spica 2.3 degrees N of Moon
25 Jupiter 3.8 degrees N of Mercury
27 Antares 0.5 degrees N of Moon
28 Moon at apogee
28 Pleiades 4.4 degrees S of Moon
29 Full Moon
Zanesville Astronomy Club 2026
Ohio residents and club members are invited to view our night skies at the Lewis Observatory on the OUZ campus in Zanesville, OH.
Please sign the guest book upon arriving. Dress for the weather.
Meetings and events are scheduled March through November.
If you would like to use the club Dobsonian telescope during our viewing events to enable sharing it with others, please let a coordinator know when you arrive. Thanks to all who bring and share their personal telescope! You can also check telescopes out of our local John McIntire Public Library as easily as checking out a book.
If you wish to receive the Zanesville Astronomy Club newsletter, send an email to: irenebaron@irenebaron.com with subject matter the word ASTRONOMY. In the message include your full name, email address, street address, city & state.
If you need help repairing your scope, contact Coordinator Chuck Bruckelmeyer during the event to arrange a meeting. He has helped repair and guided owners through repairs on every telescope brought to him.
If you need help learning how to use your telescope, let one of the Coordinators know during a viewing event. They can show you at that time or arrange a private time. They can also answer your questions and offer help.
Please share this information and URL link with family and friends who may be interested in learning more about astronomy.
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THE CHRISTMAS STAR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED
Unraveling the Christmas Star Mystery
by Irene Baron
Irene used NASA Jet Propulsion Library astronomy programs to identify the Christmas star. Her nonfiction book discusses the research that took place daily over several years.
This nonfiction astronomy book was awarded the GOLD MEDAL as the 2013 EXEMPLARY CHRISTIAN EDUCATION BOOK, or the best Christian Education book of the year! Buy on Amazon or where ever books are sold. Http://cutt.ly/we5mqvt
Bring the copy of your book to any club event to have it autographed by the author. She usually has a few available for sale.
Visits from around the world.
A Top Author Website of 2017
Coordinator John Bolen w/Lewis Telescope
Aligning telescope to nebula
John Bolen is a ZAC Coordinator who, with Chuck Bruckelmeyer, will be hosting your viewing through the Lewis Telescope. In this image, John is setting up the telescope for a distant object through the dome opening of the observatory. John brings his Dobsonian telescope to monthly events. For viewing the Sun anytime, solar eclipses, and sunspots, he has protective solar filters. It is astonishing to safely look at the sun through his telescope. John Bolen has volunteered at almost every meeting and workshop since 2013. Thank you John for all your work with our organization.
Irene Baron, founder of the Zanesville Astronomy Club in 2013, taught astronomy many of her 40+ years of teaching high school science and was selected in 2023 as a NASA Partner - Eclipse Ambassador for Ohio.
MIRROR GRINDING INSTRUCTION
One of numerous workshops
Coordinator Chuck Bruckelmeyer, former President of the Columbus Astronomical Society, presents workshops at about telescopes and astronomy. He has constructed telescopes by grinding his own concave mirror surfaces by hand. He assists club members with their telescopes. Discuss your needs with him at monthly events. In this photo, Chuck holds one of the mirrors on which he is currently working. We are very fortunate to have him as a member and active coordinator.