Madison Astronomical Society

  • Moon Over Monona Terrace

    Friday October 16, 2026, 6:30pm-9:30pm – Monona Terrace Conference Center

    FREE and Open to the Public

    For more information, and to get your FREE tickets, a link will be provided here soon. Please revisit.

    FREE ticket required for admission. Tickets are required for all attendees; subject to venue capacity and are issued on a first come first serve basis. There is a limit of 8 tickets per patron.

    Explore the surface of the Moon and other celestial objects through telescopes provided by MAS members.

    Young and old alike are invited to view the Moon and other celestial objects, such as Jupiter and Saturn, through a multitude of different telescopes provided by the Madison Astronomical Society (MAS). Activities include short kid-friendly presentations about the moon and other celestial phenomena, plus a kids’ fun zone with educational games and prizes!

  • The Music of the Spheres – Peering Inside Stars with Asteroseismology

    Friday, October 9, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School

    Picture of guest speaker Rich Townsend.

    Rich Townsend

    UW-Madison Dept of Astronomy

    One hundred years ago, the British astrophysicist Sir Arthur Eddington wrote that “Our telescopes may probe farther and farther into space, but they cannot penetrate a solid boulder; and the surface of a star acts as an equally impenetrable shield hiding all that goes on beneath.”

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  • Public Outreach Star Party at Anderson Farm Dog Park, Oregon

    Tuesday October 6, 2025, 7:00pm.

    https://www.danecountyparks.com/park/AndersonFarm

  • Building a Collapsible Telescope

    Friday, Sept 11, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School

    Keith Swartz - portrait shot

    Keith Swartz

    Telescopes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Changing their shape and size is not easy, if possible at all, but Keith Swartz tells the story about how he modified his homemade 10-inch Dobsonian telescope to better suit his needs. Following the tradition of a few recent speakers, he will also share a bit about his journey with this great hobby.

    Keith Swartz is a recently retired mechanical engineer. He is originally from Iowa, but has lived in Madison for 26 years, where he and his wife have raised three kids. Before moving to Madison, he and his wife travelled around the country for a year and a half, including a six-month backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

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  • Public Star Party at Devil’s Lake

    Friday September 4, 2026, 8:00 PM – Devil’s Lake State Park

    Devils Lake State Park Public Outreach event. Lecture 8-8:45, observing follows. Meet at the boat launch ramp parking lot on the north shore of the lake, by Rock Elm Shelter. No state park sticker needed for MAS event volunteers who submit their names to Rick (IN ADVANCE).

    Link to Google Map

    Official park map (printable)

    A group of MAS members at a Devil's Lake star party in 2013.

    The two photos above are from a Devil’s Lake event in 2013.

  • CANCELED: Star Party at Donald Park

    Saturday August 15, 2026, 8:00 PM – Donald County Park

    CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER (no alternate date)

    Join the Friends of Donald County Park and the Madison Astronomical Society at the Pop’s Knoll picnic area to view the planets and stars. Telescopes will be provided, but bring your own (or binoculars) if you have one. Bring your family and friends, a flashlight, insect repellent, blanket or chairs, and marshmallows for roasting. Firepits will be ready.

    Google Map for Pop’s Knoll, Donald Park

  • Nebula Noir: Hunting the Ghosts of Dead Stars

    Friday, Aug 14, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School

    Zach Holcomb portrait.

    Zach Holcomb

    We are diving into the hidden, sprawling remnants of the cosmos. This two-part presentation begins with an accessible journey through the fundamental classifications of nebulae and the physics of these stellar ghosts. Then, we pivot to a surprising reality: why billion-dollar space telescopes have a massive blind spot for multi-degree objects.

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  • Public Star Party at Devil’s Lake

    Friday July 24, 2026, 8:00 PM – Devil’s Lake State Park

    Devils Lake State Park Public Outreach event. Lecture 8-8:45, observing follows. Meet at the boat launch ramp parking lot on the north shore of the lake, by Rock Elm Shelter. No state park sticker needed for MAS event volunteers who submit their names to Rick (IN ADVANCE).

    Link to Google Map

    Official park map (printable)

    A group of MAS members at a Devil's Lake star party in 2013.

    The two photos above are from a Devil’s Lake event in 2013.

  • Life in the Universe

    Friday, July 10, 2026, 7 pm, location Memorial High School

    Picture of Dr. Zoe Todd

    Zoe Todd

    UW Madison

    For centuries, humanity has been grappling with the fundamental question: are we alone in the universe? The origins of life on Earth and the search for life on other planets are important scientific topics now within our grasp to potentially answer. These questions rely on a multitude of disciplines, including physics, astronomy, planetary science, geoscience, chemistry, and biochemistry, etc.

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  • The MAS/MMSD Astronomy Partnership

    Friday, June 12, 2026, 7 PM, location: Theater 300 in Memorial High School

    Ben Senson and Anne Wilcox Panzer
    Ben Senson and Anne Wilcox Panzer

    MAS is proud to announce a new partnership with the MMSD Planetarium at Memorial High School in Madison!

    The June 2026 meeting of the Madison Astronomical Society will be the first meeting in our new location.

    The meeting will start in Theater 300 (directions and map below).

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