Latest News and Posts

  • New Moons for the Solar System

    It is very difficult to keep up with the number of moons in our Solar System. On March 10, 2025, it was announced that Saturn has 128 NEW moons. Not just a total of 128, but 128 new moons bringing its total number of moons to 274. These are not huge moons like the Galilean…

  • Public observation at Stone Mountain (Saturday, March 22)

    WEATHER UPDATE: This event will take place. On Saturday, March 22, 2025 the Forsyth Astronomical Society will host a public astronomy observation at Stone Mountain State Park. It should be dark enough to observe by 8:30 PM. This event is weather-dependent. This post and the FAS Facebook page will be updated with the weather decision…

  • That’s a wrap! A night of observing the stars at Pilot Mountain (February 28, 2025)

    Finally, the clouds cleared and the weather held steady. We made it up to Pilot Mt. State Park. Around 200 people joined us for a close up view of Venus, Jupiter, and several other celestial objects. Many of the Winter constellations, including Orion, were visible. There was also a planetary alignment when seven planets were…

  • SPHEREx

    The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (aka SPEHREx) is about ready to take off. SPHEREx is a new entry into NASA’s space telescopes that began with The Great Observatories. While the James Web Space Telescope (JWST) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) focus on specific targets, SPHEREx…

  • A Total Lunar Eclipse (March 13-14)

    On the evening of March 13-14, there will be a total eclipse of the Moon. A lunar eclipse is not as spectacular as a solar eclipse, but it is still interesting to see the Earth’s shadow make its way across the Moon until we see the reddish glow from a “blood moon.” You will have…

  • March 2025 FAS Meeting (Wednesday, March 12)

    Please join us for the March meeting of the Forsyth Astronomical Society at 7:30 on Wednesday, March 12. The meeting will be held at the new Kaleideum at 120 West 3rd Street downtown in Winston-Salem, NC. The March program will be presented by FAS member Dr. William Rankin. Dr. Rankin will give a presentation on…

  • CANCELED – Public observation at Meadowview Magnet Middle School (Saturday, March 8)

    WEATHER UPDATE: This event is canceled due to forecasted clouds. On Saturday, March 8, the Forsyth Astronomical Society will host a free public astronomy observation at the Meadowview Magnet Middle School (MMMS) in Mount Airy. MMMS is a STEM Magnet School and the county’s Science Institute. The event will begin at 7:30 PM and conclude at…

  • Asteroid 2024 YR4

    Recently there has been a lot of news about asteroid 2024 YR4. Evidently there is a small chance that its orbit will intersect with the Earth in 2032. We at FAS thought it would be appropriate to provide you with updates on this potential event so that you can decide to either take your telescope…

  • Pluto Discovered 95 Years Ago

    In case you’re keeping track, everyone’s favorite ex-planet (or still 9th planet) was discovered 95 years ago on February 18, 1930.