Seven Ponds Astronomy Club

Seven Ponds Astronomy Club Seven Ponds Astronomy Club, affiliated with Seven Ponds Nature Center, located near Dryden, MI, is a loosely organized club of amateur astronomers.

Seven Ponds Astronomy Club, founded in 1982, affiliated with Seven Ponds Nature Center, located near Dryden, MI, is a loosely organized club of amateur astronomers. The club meets monthly, usually at Seven Ponds. The club also goes on "field trips" to local and regional events. The club cooperates with other local clubs to organize outreach and other events. The club is somewhat unique in that we

have no officers, elections, bylaws, meeting minutes or dues. Everyone is welcome to attend meetings free of charge. A person can telescope from the Nature Center during non-meeting nights by joining the Nature Center ($30 Annually).

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1489161039913751&set=a.508783484618183
06/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1489161039913751&set=a.508783484618183

Messier 104 (APOD: 2026 May 29)
Image Credit: CTIO, NOIRLab, DOE, NSF, AURA; Image Processing: T. A. Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage), D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab) & M. Zamani (NSF, NOIRLab)
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260529.html

Explanation: A gorgeous spiral galaxy, Messier 104 is famous for its nearly edge-on profile featuring a broad ring of obscuring dust lanes. Seen in silhouette against an extensive central bulge of stars, the swath of cosmic dust lends a broad brimmed hat-like appearance to the galaxy suggesting a more popular moniker, the Sombrero Galaxy. Also known as NGC 4594, the Sombrero Galaxy can be seen across the spectrum and is host to a central supermassive black hole. About 50,000 light-years across and 28 million light-years away, M104 is one of the largest galaxies at the southern edge of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Still, the spiky foreground stars in this field of view lie well within our own Milky Way. This broad view of the well-known galaxy was processed to reveal M104's extended halo, as well as a faint tidal stellar stream. It was captured by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/
https://noirlab.edu/
https://www.energy.gov/
https://www.nsf.gov/
https://www.aura-astronomy.org/
http://aftar.uaa.alaska.edu/
https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/
https://www.nsf.gov/
https://noirlab.edu/
https://mahdizamani.com/about

Starship Asterisk* • APOD Discussion Page
https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260529

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06/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122157726830963265&set=a.122106854594963265

EVERY ASTRONOMER MARKS THIS WEEK ON THEIR CALENDAR AND MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHY

Starting June 8, something extraordinary happens to the night sky. The Moon, which tonight floods the entire sky with reflected sunlight, begins its monthly disappearance. And by June 12, when it crosses new moon phase, the sky opens completely.

This is not subtle. Tonight, the Full Moon is so bright you can read a book outdoors by its light alone. That same light washes out much of what exists above you, galaxies, nebulae, the dusty river of the Milky Way. They are there. You just cannot see them through the glare.

But in 8 days, the Moon drops to 50% illumination. In 15 days, it disappears entirely. And during that window, June 8 through June 15, the sky you see is the sky humans saw before cities existed. The Andromeda Galaxy, 2.5 million light years away, visible as a faint smudge with your naked eyes. The Milky Way core, so dense with stars it looks like a glowing cloud splitting the sky in half. Star clusters you did not know were there suddenly obvious.

This is the reason serious stargazers plan around the lunar calendar. This is why observatories schedule public nights during new moon windows. The Moon is extraordinary, but when it leaves, the universe reveals itself.

You have 8 days to mark your calendar. Find the darkest spot you can reach. Let your eyes adjust for 20 minutes. And look up during the window of June 8 to June 15. You will see things you have spent your entire life not seeing.

What is the darkest place you have ever looked at the stars, and what did you see that you will never forget?

05/31/2026

Seven Ponds Astronomy Club's "Celestial Skies Over Seven Ponds" is next Saturday, June 6, 6:30pm. This is a free event and everyone is welcome. You don't have to be a member of the club nor the nature to attend. You just have to show up and say hello. No telescope required. Just attend, meet some nice people, have some laughs. check out the telescope equipment, look at the sky if it's clear. See some great presentations indoors. The best public astronomy event in Lapeer county.
https://www.facebook.com/events/23937006719330757

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Bill Beers' image of super nova SN2026kid in NGC 5907, the Splinter Galaxy. The Splinter is 46 million light-years away ...
05/27/2026

Bill Beers' image of super nova SN2026kid in NGC 5907, the Splinter Galaxy. The Splinter is 46 million light-years away in the constellation Draco. So this super nova happened 46 million years ago. Amazing.
This is almost 3 hours of integration time.

05/16/2026

Please join us tonight for Bob Berta's presentation "My Life Journey in Astro Photography and How Technology Made it Possible", 7:00pm. Telescope observing afterward, weather permitting.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1349187970316422

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Address

3854 Crawford Road
Dryden, MI
48428

Telephone

(810) 796-3419

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