Big Sky Astronomy Club

10/11/2026

Check out this upcoming stargazing event that the Big Sky Astronomy Club is doing in conjunction with The Whitefish Legacy Partners at Holbrook Overlook on Big Mountain Road in Whitefish. We have two potential dates listed to have the best chance for visibility- October 17 or 18. Please RSVP using the link below to receive email notifications about the final date and potential cancellations. The event will take place from 7:30pm-9:30pm.

Join us for a star gazing party- either October 17 or 18 depending on visibility! We will cancel if cloudy.

10/11/2026

The weather did not stop the Flathead Lake State Park Fall Fest on October 10th and the Big Sky Astronomy Club was there teaching kids how to construct and launch stomp rockets! Unlike NASA we launch in any weather 😀! Thanks to the organizers for putting on this annual event at the Wayfarer's Unit in Big Fork. Although the club also brought several solar telescopes we are unable to do any viewing due to the weather.

09/06/2026

Big Sky Astronomy club will be providing a stargazing event at Flathead Lake State Park, Wayfarer Unit in Big Fork on September 12th. Starting at 8pm. Come enjoy the beautiful Montana night sky and learn about stars, galaxies, nebula, and more and view these objects through telescopes. Bring warm clothes, a red flashlight, and a chair and hopefully a clear sky will be provided!

*UPDATE: Unfortunately this event has been canceled due to weather. Stay tuned for other upcoming opportunities.

✨ Join us at Flathead Lake State Park Wayfarers Unit on September 12 at 8 p.m. for Astronomy Night! From constellation tours to spotting Saturn's rings, it's going to be an out-of-this-world evening! Bring warm clothes, a comfy chair, and a red flashlight if you have it. For more information, contact [email protected]

09/03/2026

Logan Pass Star Party September 4th! This popular event usually sells out and you will need a car pass to attend. You can get a car pass the day before the event (Thursday September 3rd) at the Apgar or St. Mary Visitor Center. You need to do this in person.

You should plan to get to Logan Pass no later than 9:30 pm because the entrance to the parking area will be closed after that. The event starts at 10pm and runs unitl midnight. Bring warm clothes!

Hope to see you there! Some of the telescopes will be imaging galaxies and nebula such as the picture show below which you will be able to see live on a small monitor linked to the telescope.

08/19/2026

The recent Logan Pass Star Party got slammed with a mountain top fog bank that just sat over the visitor center parking area and eliminated any stargazing! However once we dropped a 1/4 mile down the mountain there was a beautiful clear sky. and lots of Perseid meteors flying by! We will try again on Logan Pass on September 4th and hopefully third time lucky! Don't forget to get your car pass at either the Apgar or St Mary visitor center the day before, on Thursday September 3rd. They usually sell out so get there in the morning if you can.

This coming Friday night at 7pm at the West Valley Fire Station on Farm to Market Road in Kalispell, the club will have its monthly meeting. The presentation this month is about our nearest star...the Sun! Anyone interested in learning more about the club is welcome to come!

Here is our Logan Pass Crew ever hopeful the sky will clear....

08/12/2026

Logan Pass Star Party coming up this Friday, August 14th! Hopefully the weather and smoke will cooperate and we will have a starry evening! Car passes to attend the event are available at Apgar and St Mary Visitor centers starting at 8am the day before the event (Thursday August 13th). They usually sell out so get there in the morning if you can.

08/10/2026

The Big Sky Astronomy Club recently hosted a stargazing evening for Boy Scout Troop 1 from Stow, MA. The Montana Space Grant Consortium provided a member of their SPOT team (Space Public Outreach Team) to do a presentation on Black Holes. Kali provided an outstanding presentation that captivated the audience and stimulated many questions. This was followed by sky tours and telescope observation let by members of the Big Sky Astronomy Club. Below are a few galaxies and nebula captured that night through one of the telescopes.

08/10/2026

Big Sky Astronomy Club recently hosted a star party at the Hungry Horse for Boy Scout Troop 1 from Stow, Massachussets. Kali from the Montana Space Grant Association captivated the group with an outstanding presentation on Black Holes which stimulated lots of great questions and discussion! This was followed by stargazing and viewing the sky through a variety of telescopes. We were lucky to have a reasonably clear night in light of all the smoke in our area. Many thanks to Kali and the Montana Space Grant Consortium for joining us and helping to make the night a great success. We look forward to working together again with Kali and Amy from the Montana Space Grant Consortium for future programs.

💫 When Jim reached out on behalf of the Big Sky Astronomy Club to ask about working together, we couldn’t wait to jump in. BSAC is a community-based non-profit that promotes astronomy education and inspires space curiosity across Northwest Montana.

💪🏻 Our new SPOT Director, Kali Shoaf-Laughlin, jumped right in to offer programming on Black Holes. The group was hosting a stargazing experience for 35 scouts outside of Glacier National Park.

🔭 BSAC offers a number of stargazing events open to the public - check them out! If you are hosting a group and would like to include space-related engaging workshops curriculum, we’re here for you! That’s what SPOT is all about.

🤍 Thanks again, Jim! We look forward to continuing to work with BSAC!

07/14/2026

Logan Pass Star Party coming up Friday July 17th. Get your car pass at Apgar or St. Mary Visitor Center on Thursday July 16th. Spectacular views of the night skies framed by majestic mountains! See the Milky Way light up over Reynolds Mountain. Join the Big Sky Astronomy Club and The Glacier Conservancy for this educational evening under the stars. The night will include a presentation, constellation tours, and viewing through telescopes and binoculars. Be sure to get to Logan Pass by 9:30 and program will run from 10pm to midnight.

photo by Baylee Goodwin

07/10/2026

Aurora over Polebridge and over Flathead Lake July 3rd, 2026