Analemma Society

10/23/2026

Sky 🌌 looks great for tonight’s sponsored Night Sky viewing at Turner Farm Park! (See Events for details.) Free registration at the door. Hope to see you there! Dress warm.

( UPDATE: with 130 registered and clear weather FCPA reminds me that we cannot guarantee spots for unregistered folks. Walk-ins have tended to balance no-shows at sponsored viewings, but the parking lot is only so big. )

Full moon 🌕 and Saturn 🪐 will be popular, with looks at bright clusters, colorful stars, and maybe Andromeda - though the full moon may wash out galaxies. Also enjoy solar system walks along our scale model painted on the sidewalk.

🥫📦 It’s our second Cans for the Cosmos: If able, please bring a few non perishable food items for Cornerstones. No glass.

“First star on the right and straight on til morning!” 🌟

10/09/2026

Please sign our petition to Bring Back Free Friday Night Star-Gazing at Turner Farm! On our website or direct at

10/08/2026

So cool to see this. 103 years this week. Dots of destiny.
Did you know Andromeda is a naked-eye object from dark skies?

On this day 100 years ago, our universe got bigger 🤩

On October 6, 1923, Edwin Hubble detected a Cepheid variable star in the mysterious Andromeda Nebula. This discovery allowed him to measure its distance for the first time, proving that Andromeda was a "distant island universe" (i.e., a galaxy) like the Milky Way, but much further away. Our understanding of the size of the universe changed dramatically overnight. Today, we know that the Milky Way and Andromeda are separated by a distance of 2.5 million light years.

The image shows Hubble's original photographic plate of Andromeda, on which he excitedly scribbled"VAR!" to indicate the newly discovered variable star and the date.

Special thanks to Lowell astronomer Dr. Michael West for sharing this info with us!

📷: Carnegie Observatories

10/08/2026

The Strange Shape of Sundials (Spaces Available!)
Monday, October 12 - 1:00 - 2:30 pm
https://fairfax.usedirect.com/FairfaxFCPAWeb/ACTIVITIES/Details.aspx?session_id=627814

Sundials are the world's oldest clocks, seen in alignments of Stonehenge and Newgrange. Ben Franklin had exploding sundials and Thomas Jefferson built a new type of sundial for that time. Learn about the many kinds of sundials and make your own paper sundial. The course will be held in the Roll-Top observatory classroom followed by telescope observing of the sun.

Led by Analemma Society instructor & webmaster Dr. Robert Kellogg, Senior Scientist at First Principles and member of the North American Sundial Society where is the 10-year author of "Sundials for Starters" in the quarterly journal _The Compendium_. He is also the NASS webmaster and registrar and former Treasurer. Bob designs large sundials in public and community projects and makes innovative sundials including digital ones!

Photo from NASS (sundials.org) 22-Sep-2026

10/05/2026

Last chance to sign up for Monday night's class! Looks like FCPA needs a couple more sign-ups to hold it.

New Astronomy - NextGen Electronic Telescopes

Discover how electronically assisted astronomy combines telescopes with sensors and imaging technology to reveal the night sky. Explore examples of this emerging field with Analemma Society volunteers. The program meets in the Roll-Top Observatory, rain or shine.

Analemma Society instructors Dan Ward, Mary Blessing, and Karen Cox have done electronically-assisted astronomy and astrophotography with everything from cell phones to professional rigs. Blessing was selected to fly on both the Kuiper and SOFIA NASA airborne observatories while an astronomy teacher at Herndon High. Come hear their experience with a range of equipment before making any holiday purchases.

Registration:

Fairfax , camping and tour reservation information

10/05/2026

Great to be neighboring tables with DarkSky NOVA!

09/28/2026

New Astronomy: NextGen Electronic Telescopes
Monday Oct. 05 - 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Discover how electronically assisted astronomy combines telescopes with sensors and imaging technology to reveal the night sky. Explore examples of this emerging field with Analemma Society volunteers. The program meets in the Roll-Top Observatory, rain or shine.

Analemma Society instructors Dan Ward, Mary Blessing, and Karen Cox have done electronically-assisted astronomy and astrophotography with everything from cell phones to professional rigs. Blessing was selected to fly on both the Kuiper and SOFIA NASA airborne observatories while astronomy teacher at Herndon High. Come hear their experience with a range of equipment before making any holiday purchases.

Observatory Park at Turner Farm
925 Springvale Road
Great Falls, VA 22066
Fairfax County Seal
$13.00
Ages 8 and older.
Registration: fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/turner-farm/new-astronomy/100526

Photo credit: Trevor Jones, astrobackyard..com/best-smart-telescopes/

09/26/2026

Pluto - Planet or Something Else? -
*THIS* Monday, September 28, 7:30 - 9:00pm

Register for this Parktakes class: https://fairfax.usedirect.com/FairfaxFCPAWeb/ACTIVITIES/Details.aspx?session_id=627818

Analemma Society member Cal Powell will cover what we know about Pluto, the 2006 decision to designate Pluto as a "dwarf planet" and explain why that decision is still controversial. The discussion is followed by an observatory session with telescopes, weather permitting. The course is held rain or clear skies in the Roll-Top Observatory at Turner Farm Park. It is recommend parents accompany younger children. Advance registration required, no walk-in registration available.

Cal has earned an Astronomical League Outreach Award (Master Level) through the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC), and is a Lead Volunteer in Astronomy Education at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), as well as an informal educator as a member of the Analemma Society here in Great Falls, VA. If you've visited us, you may have met his famous meteorite collection!

Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research

09/25/2026

How could we not repost an analemma photo? Happy (late) equinox!

Autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere, and spring in the Southern Hemisphere, at the equinox: 8:05 p.m. EDT tonight (0:05 September 23rd UT). This is when the Sun crosses the equator — both Earth's equator and, equivalently, the celestial equator — heading south for the season.
https://buff.ly/3PKrP1A

Image credit: parisabajelan

09/18/2026

Forecast for International Observe the Moon Night (IOMN) Saturday isn't promising for us, but check back mid-Saturday. And maybe try tonight instead -- we'll be there hunting for gaps in the clouds!

If tonight, register at the gate, and hopefully bring some Cans for the Cosmos (Cornerstones food drive).