Latest News and Posts

  • The Classification of Dinosaurs

    FAS Astronomers Blog, Volume 31, Number 13. As noted in An Introduction to Dinosaurs, Richard Owen (Owen 1842) created the designation Dinosauria meaning “Fearfully great lizards” or “terrible lizards” to describe the new found dinosaurs. Dinosaurs lived during the Mesozoic era and dominated the planet in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. In 1887, Harry Seeley…

  • Last chance to visit the Kaleideum North Planetarium

    As you may know, Kaleideum North will be closing on December 31, 2023. It will be replaced by a brand new Kaleideum museum downtown on 3rd street. The new museum will include The Digital Dome – a full dome digital planetarium. The new Kaleideum will open in the spring of 2024. November and December will…

  • December 2023 Meeting – Thursday, December 7

    Please join us for the December 7, 2023 meeting of the Forsyth Astronomical Society. The meeting will be held at Kaleideum North (formerly SciWorks), 400 West Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem, NC. This will be our annual potluck holiday gathering. So, bring your best dishes to share! Yes, you can stop by the supermarket on your…

  • CANCELED – Public observation at Stone Mountain on Saturday, December 2

    WEATHER UPDATE: This event is canceled due to forecasted clouds and rain. On Saturday, December 2, Forsyth Astronomical Society will host a public astronomy observation at Stone Mountain State Park. It should be dark enough to observe by 6:30 PM. The planets Jupiter and Saturn should be visible if conditions permit. This event is weather-dependent.…

  • Leonids Meteor Shower / November 17-18, 2023

    One of the lesser known meteor showers is coming up on the night of Friday, November 17 through the morning of Saturday, November 18. The Leonids radiate from around the constellation of Leo and are remnants from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteor shower is best viewed in the early morning hours from a dark location,…

  • CANCELED – Public observation at Pilot Mountain on Friday, December 1

    WEATHER UPDATE: This event is canceled due to forecasted clouds and rain. On Friday, December 1, the Forsyth Astronomical Society, Kaleideum, and the rangers of Pilot Mountain State Park will host a free public astronomy observation at Pilot Mountain State Park. The event will begin at 6:30 PM and conclude at 9:30 pm. If conditions…

  • That’s a wrap! Observation night at Pilot Mountain – November 3, 2023

    Finally, the clouds cleared and the weather held steady. We made it up to Pilot Mt. State Park. Somewhere between 175 to 200 people joined us for a close up view of Jupiter, Saturn, and several other celestial objects. The Milky Way stretched across the sky and many of the Autumn constellations were visible. It…

  • The Autumn Night Sky

    As we move into autumn, the time changes, and it starts to get dark earlier. It is a great time to go stargazing. Here are a few notes taken from two earlier FAS Astronomers Blogs. The Night Sky During the Fall, find the Great Square of Pegasus to the south. Add a few more stars…

  • That’s a wrap! Solar Observations at King Central Park 2023

    FAS held two solar observations at King Central Park this past year. We had a chance to bring out all our solar observing equipment from filters to hydrogen alpha scopes. We had good skies and great views for both. Here are a few photos from the events. Click here to learn more about solar observing: