Umpquaastronomers

10/11/2026

** Prominent Astrophysicist at Library Wednesday Night **

On Wednesday, October 14th from 6:00 - 7:30pm the Roseburg Public Library is hosting astrophysicist Dr. Kimberly Arcand of the Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She will be giving a presentation about extreme astronomical objects. A description follows:

Smithsonian: Our Weird and Wild Universe
In-person program only in partnership with Umpqua Community College's Paul Morgan Observatory

The universe is far stranger than science fiction ... and it’s all real. Kimberly Arcand of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory leads a journey through weird and wild places in the cosmos, from merely mind-bending to truly extreme. Along the way meet blazars (hyperactive, distant black holes) that outshine entire galaxies, quasars powered by supermassive black holes, city-sized neutron stars, and pulsars that keep time more precisely than atomic clocks, plus some wild worlds orbiting distant suns. Arcand talks about how these extreme objects are found and what they reveal about the cosmos.

Dr. Paul Morgan of Umpqua Community College and Umpqua Astronomers will be on hand for discussion.

Event is free to the public and a good opportunity to be amazed about what goes on in the cosmos.

Send a message to learn more

09/10/2026

** Public Night at PMO Friday **

Please join us Friday, September 11 at 8:00pm at the Paul Morgan Observatory on the UCC Campus for a public event where everyone is invited. The PMO telescopes will target late summer and early fall deep sky objects and display their images on the outdoor big screen. You will also get a chance to see the newest addition to the observatory that will soon become a solar observatory to be used only for viewing the Sun. When complete PMO will be the only observatory in the Northwest that can view the sun in three different wavelengths each of which highlight different features of the Sun.

If you come, dress warm and park by the Tech Center across from the W**e Institute then walk up the hill to PMO. Those who arrive early can use observatory chairs but otherwise please bring your own blankets and/or chairs.

Hope for non-cloudy skies.

09/05/2026

** September StarGazer is out **

Please click on the link below to find out about astronomy related events for September :

https://umpqua.edu/information/umpqua-stargazer-september-2026/

Join us on September 11th at 8:15pm for a public night at Paul Morgan Observatory on the UCC Campus. Unfortunately the weather is trending in the wrong direction according to current forecast but that may change.

08/30/2026

** It was a good night for a lunar eclipse watch **

Thanks to the 40 or so of you who showed up for the eclipse watch at PMO. It was a pleasure have you there and ask questions. Hopefully you liked what you saw and you will tell your friends and neighbors.

Next and last event of the season is September 11th at 8:00pm. The 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the US will be acknowledged.

08/26/2026

** Lunar eclipse watch at PMO Thursday **

Please join us on Thursday evening at 9:00pm at the Paul Morgan Observatory on the UCC campus for a lunar eclipse watch. The program will include live images of the Moon from the PMO telescopes and discussion of how eclipses happen. There will also be talk about the geology of the Moon including craters, mares (seas), and mountain ranges. Prominent craters and mares will be pointed out so you can go home and find them again.

This eclipse is considered a partial eclipse as 96% of the Moon will be in the Earth's shadow. The Moon with appear reddish as the light from the Sun is bent around the Earth causing the red light to overcome the normal blue light of the Earth's atmosphere.

The forecast is favorable so hopefully you can join us. Please dress warm and bring your own chair and/or blanket. Early birds will be rewarded with use of one of the 30 or so chairs that will be available.

See you there.

08/12/2026

** Perseid Meteor Shower Wednesday Night **

The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak on the night of Wednesday, August 12th and into the pre-dawn hours of Thursday. For best viewing look after 10:00pm with the improved viewing as the radiant rises higher. Best viewing is early Thursday morning. The shower will be active for a few more nights also.

This should be a good year for the Perseids as the New Moon will leave the skies dark. Forecasts call for an average of 25 meteors per hour. It is consistently the best of all the different meteor showers as long as conditions cooperate.

As always, find a dark spot away from city lights and let your eyes adjust to the darkness for 30 minutes and gaze toward the radiant at the top of constellation Perseus. But remember, that is where the meteors come from not where the go to. So it is best to de-focus your eyes and just gaze in the general direction.

Hope for clear, smoke-free skies.

08/07/2026

** August Star Gazer is out **

Please check out the link below to find out about astronomy events this month:

https://umpqua.edu/information/umpqua-stargazer-august-2026/

08/06/2026

** Public Night at PMO this Friday **

Please join us as Umpqua Astronomers hosts a public night at the Paul Morgan Observatory on the UCC campus at 9:30pm Friday, August 7th. The public is invited.

The theme of the event is to explore the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy along with nebulae and star clusters. There will be a brief Zoom presentation followed by views from the PMO telescopes displayed on the outdoor display screen complete with narration by members of Umpqua Astronomers.

If you come dress warm and please bring your own chairs and/or blankets. Chairs will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Parking is near the Tech Center across from the W**e Institute. From there walk up the hill towards the new track and PMO.

Hope you can make it.

07/26/2026

** The Moon and the Diamond **

If you look to the south the next night or two you can see the Moon as is passes through constellation Sagittarius. Sunday night, 7/26, the Moon will be positioned in the lid of the teapot of the constellation and traveling east having just left constellation Scorpius and its alpha star Antares.

The alpha star for Sagittarius is Rukbat but many wonder why as it is not the brightest star in the constellation such as Nunki. At the time it was designated those who decided had their reasons. Could have been the radiation it puts out or a companion star that made it appear brighter or some other reason.

And by now we should know how to find the Summer Triangle made up of alpha stars Deneb (Cygnus), Vega (Lyra), and Altair (Aquila). But have you heard about the Summer Diamond? By adding Rasalhague, alpha star of Ophiuchus, we can create a newly shaped asterism and call it the Summer Diamond.

So if you get a chance look to the southwest and find each of these alpha stars and their constellations.

07/13/2026

** Meet and Greet Tuesday Night at 7:00pm **

Umpqua Astronomers is looking for new members and is inviting anyone to come to the Paul Morgan Observatory at UCC on Tuesday night, July 14th at 7:00pm, to meet current members and talk about the club and any other astronomy related topics.

Some of the benefits of Umpqua Astronomers include the following:

* Membership to the Astronomical League ($25/yr for individual if not a club member)
Quarterly magazine “Reflector”
Observing programs with certificates and pins
Discounts (10%) on Astronomical League publications and some vendors

* Summer club star parties or club star gazing events at the UCC Morgan Observatory

* Discounts($10) on magazine subscriptions to “Sky and Telescope” and “Astronomy”

* Member of NASA‘s Night Sky Network

* Ability to volunteer at the UCC Morgan Observatory outreach events and to learn from other members

No special requirements just an interest in astronomy so please do not hesitate to join us for a no obligation visit.

Send a message to learn more