Friday, December 11, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School
Dan Hooper
Professor of Physics and the Director of the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center at the UW Madison
Over the past few decades, we have made incredible
discoveries about how our cosmos evolved over the past 13.8 billion years. But there remains a critical gap in our knowledge: we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School
Dr. Stephen R. Meyers
Vilas Distinguished Professor of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
The long history of our planet provides a rich tapestry of boundary conditions and past ‘experiments’, which can be used to understand how the Earth System works and can inform decisions about our future. But how do we decode that history from a complex geological record?
(more…)Friday October 16, 2026, 6:30pm-10:00pm – Monona Terrace Conference Center
FREE and Open to the Public
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!
MAS members who want to participate as volunteers are urged to register by filling out this web form.
Friday, October 9, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School
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.”
This would seem to suggest that stellar interiors are forever hidden from empirical scrutiny. However, the late decades of the 20th century saw the development of a new technique — “asteroseismology” — that overturns this notion.
(more…)Tuesday October 6, 2026, 7:00pm.
Friday, Sept 11, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School
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.
(more…)Come out to Korth Park on Monday October 5th, to enjoy a night under the stars. The Madison Astronomical Society will present an introduction to the night sky. The evening starts at 6:45 pm, with a presentation at dusk on how to view the night sky, followed by a tour of the sky with a variety of telescopes and binoculars and laser guided tours of the constellations. Bring your own binoculars and telescopes if you’d like, and discover the wonders of the cosmos!
W8282 Elm Point Rd, Lake Mills, WI 53551
Friday September 4, 2026, 8:00 PM – Devil’s Lake State Park
THIS STAR PARTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO FORECASTED POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS.
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).
Official park map (printable)
The two photos above are from a Devil’s Lake event in 2013.
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.
Friday, Aug 14, 2026, 7 pm, Memorial High School
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.
(more…)
