Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association

Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association Official page for the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association. Founded in 1955.

Mission Statement:
To promote community interest and participation in astronomy through outreach, education and research. The Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association – in existence for over 60 years - is an organization of more than 100 astronomy enthusiasts of varied ages, backgrounds, and interests. We are an eclectic mix of individuals and families who share a common interest in and appreciation for the wonders of the universe.

🔥 We're excited to host the Riverside Raconteurs Storytelling Bonfires again this summer at the Veen Observatory! West M...
06/17/2026

🔥 We're excited to host the Riverside Raconteurs Storytelling Bonfires again this summer at the Veen Observatory! West Michigan's infamous storytelling group, led by GRAAA's own Vice President Tom Good, will bring their unique capabilities to spin a tale to the grounds of the Veen Observatory on three Friday evenings this summer (June 26, July 24, and August 28).

GRAAA members and friends are invited and encouraged to join them around the fire pit and to even share a story or two of their own if they so choose. The Riverside Raconteurs have a long tradition of creativity and fellowship in West Michigan and we are delighted to welcome them back to Kissing Rock Hill. Bring a lawn chair, bug spray, perhaps a jacket and light refreshment if you wish... and of course, a tale to tell if the spirit moves you.

Most galaxies are between 10 billion and 13.6 billion years old. Our universe is about 13.8 billion years old, so most g...
06/13/2026

Most galaxies are between 10 billion and 13.6 billion years old. Our universe is about 13.8 billion years old, so most galaxies formed when the universe was quite young!

Astronomers believe that our own Milky Way galaxy is approximately 13.6 billion years old. The newest galaxy we know of formed only about 500 million years ago.

This is an illustration of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way is an ancient galaxy that was born only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

Credit: NASA/JPL

06/12/2026

We're go for tonight! All GRAAA members welcome for this guided practice session with the Hawkins telescope.

06/10/2026

ATTENTION GRAAA MEMBERS:

Board Member Matt Palmieri is hosting a pop-up practice session on the Hawkins Telescope this Friday 6/12 from 8:00-11:00pm.

All GRAAA members are welcome to attend. At 8:00 there will be a brief presentation on using the Hawkins and finding objects manually in the night sky and then we will practice setting up and putting away the Hawkins Telescope. Once the sky gets dark enough we will practice locating double stars, globular clusters, and other targets as the sky allows.

This event may be of interest if you:
1. Would like guided practice using the Hawkins or Dobsonian/Alt-Az mounts in general.
2. Would like help finding objects manually in the night sky.

The current forecast looks promising. We will run this even if the sky is cloudy, but rain would cancel Friday's practice session. Keep an eye on social media and graaa.org for an update Friday afternoon.

Today we're featuring this image of the Rosette Nebula by GRAAA member Wes Salisbury. More of Wes's work can be viewed a...
06/09/2026

Today we're featuring this image of the Rosette Nebula by GRAAA member Wes Salisbury. More of Wes's work can be viewed at astrobin.com/users/wsalisbury, and links to several of our members' pages can be found at graaa.org/galleries.

The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) is an H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The nebula lies at a distance of 5,000 light-years from Earth.

If you're a GRAAA member skilled in astrophotography, get in touch to have your images featured!

Here are a few notable astronomical phenomena happening this month, plus upcoming GRAAA events.🌟 On June 17 the Moon wil...
06/04/2026

Here are a few notable astronomical phenomena happening this month, plus upcoming GRAAA events.

🌟 On June 17 the Moon will pass in front of Venus, creating a lunar occultation visible during the afternoon from Grand Rapids. It will begin with the disappearance of Venus behind the Moon at 3:29pm ET and its reappearance will occur at 4:53pm ET. EXTREME CAUTION IS NECESSARY when pointing binoculars or telescopes at the sky when the Sun is above the horizon.

🌟 The June solstice on the 21st marks the first day of summer for those of us in the northern hemisphere. It will be the longest day of the year, and the day when the Sun's annual journey through the constellations of the zodiac carries it to its most northerly point in the sky. The summer solstice actually happens at one shared instant for the entire planet. In Coordinated Universal Time it is Sunday June 21 at 2:24 UTC, but for those of us in US Eastern Time that will happen at 10:24pm the night before. But the calendar headline still belongs to the 21st, which is the date that most almanacs and news outlets will use to mark the first day of summer.

🌟 The June Bootid meteor shower will be active from June 22 to July 2, producing its peak rate of meteors around June 27. Seen from Grand Rapids the radiant point is circumpolar, so it will always be above the horizon and the meteor shower will be active all night. It is likely to produce its best displays soon after dusk, when the radiant point is still as high as possible in the sky.

📆 Public Night season is in full swing, and this month they will take place on June 6 and June 20. We will also welcome back the first of three Riverside Raconteurs storytelling events on June 26, and will be hosting our annual StarBeQue picnic for GRAAA members on June 27. Visit graaa.org/events for more information, and learn more about the astronomical phenomena above and more at in-the-sky.org 🌟

Here is the calendar of moon phases for the month, courtesy of moongiant.com.June's full moon is commonly known as the S...
06/01/2026

Here is the calendar of moon phases for the month, courtesy of moongiant.com.

June's full moon is commonly known as the Strawberry Moon in North America, marking strawberry harvesting season. Most Algonquin tribes understood that the full moon during this time of year indicated that wild strawberries were beginning to ripen and would soon be ready for harvest.

In Europe June's full moon has many names, some of them similarly sweet, such as the Honey Moon or the Mead Moon. It's traditional to gift mead or honey to a newlywed couple during the first moon of their marriage, resulting in the word "honeymoon" in the English language. The word now refers to a holiday taken by couples right after they get married, but in ancient Europe it traditionally referred to a sweet romantic holiday taken by newlyweds specifically around the time of June's full moon (the moon phases were seen as a symbol for the phases of a marriage, with the full moon signifying the fullest and happiest part).

This sweet, romantic symbolism during the month of June is prevalent across cultures. In India, June’s full moon is celebrated as Vat Purnima, where married women perform a ceremonial ritual to show their love for their husbands; the Pagan community also call June's full moon the Lovers' Moon; during the Honey Moon, Hoodoo practitioners will use honey in several different magic rituals.

Address

3308 Kissing Rock Avenue SE
Lowell, MI
49331

Telephone

+16168977065

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