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BACK BAY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

"Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads"

BACK BAY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

"Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads"

BACK BAY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

"Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads"

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Welcome to the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers website

We are a group of dedicated amateur astronomers drawn together by a common interest in astronomy. Our club was founded on December 14, 1978 by members dedicated to promoting amateur astronomy.

We invite you to come to our any of our free monthly events to take a look through our telescopes and learn more about the night sky.

The BBAA is an active member society of the Astronomical League, a part of the Night Sky Network, and a member of the Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies (VAAS). We are also active on social media. Please visit our social media pages on BBAA Yahoo Group, BBAA Facebook Group, BBAA Twitter page, BBAA Facebook page and Instagram to stay up to date with our club's latest activities.

Clear skies

AL logo

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NSN logo

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

(APOD)

Click on the picture to open the APOD website for a higher resolution image with a description of the photo

What's Happening This Month

All events marked with * below are free, kid friendly, and open to the public. Events marked with a $ have a small fee required by the event organizer.

In the BBAA In the Sky
FEBRUARY 4, 11, 18, 25: Ocean Lakes Elementary Enrichment, Virginia Beach * FEBRUARY 9: Full Moon, Supermoon
FEBRUARY 6: Monthly Meeting at at TCC, Virginia Beach Campus * FEBRUARY 10: Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
FEBRUARY 8: Saturday "Sun" Day - Solar Observing at Elizabeth River Park, Chesapeake * FEBRUARY 18: Conjunction of the Moon and Mars
FEBRUARY 8: BSA Freeze-o-ree, Barco, NC *
FEBRUARY 19: Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter
FEBRUARY 14, 21: Cornwatch at Cornland Park, Chesapeake (private)
 FEBRUARY 20: Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn
FEBRUARY 15: Skywatch at Northwest River Park, Chesapeake * FEBRUARY 23: New Moon
FEBRUARY 22: Nightwatch at Chippokes State Park (private)
FEBRUARY 24: Winter Sky Night at the Carrollton Branch Library *

If you're planning to attend an event, please see our Event Information page. There you will find useful information about BBAA events and links for directions to our observing sites. Please also take the time to read our expected event etiquette for all attendees.

To see event details on the Night Sky Network head over to our club's Calendar page and click on the event you want more details about.

For more information on what's happening in the sky this week, see Sky & Telescope's "This Week's Sky at a Glance" page.

Jupiter Asteroid Impact Detection Project

Our club is helping assist with this project. You do NOT have to be a member of our club to participate. If you are interested in contributing please see our Jupiter Asteroid Impact Detection Project page.

Benito Loyola's GIF animation of an imaging run from 2019-05-28-0145 to 2019-05-28-0516 GMT of Jupiter and its moons.

BBAA Spotlight Photo/Video

Congratulations to winners of the Georgie June raffle at our anniversary luncheon. Jared Austin-Orion XT8 Dobsonian, Leigh Anne Lagoe-Canon 7D DSLR, and not pictured Kelly Lenahan-Celestron 114 EQ.

Observing Programs

BBAA club members dues pay for Astronomical League (AL) membership. This membership allows our club members to participate in the many Astronomical League observing programs. The AL programs are designed to provide a direction for your observations and to provide a goal. The programs have awards and pins to recognize the observers’ accomplishments and for demonstrating their observing skills with a variety of instruments and objects. The BBAA was responsible for creating the Astronomical League's Planetary Nebula Program. A detailed history of the programs inception is available on our page. For further information on observing programs, see our Observing Programs page or the Astronomical League's official page.

Planetary Nebula Program

Lapel pin awarded for completion of the Planetary Nebula Program

Current Sun and Moon
Sun

Moon

Current Solar System Configuration

This interactive 3D model shows the today's configuration of the major bodies of the Solar System along their orbits.

BBAA Contact Info

Have questions? Drop us a note!

BBAA, PO Box 9877, Virginia Beach, VA 23450-9877

Information email contacts all club officers

Email info (at) backbayastro (dot) org

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