Upcoming Events
Events are open to all members and the general public. Sign up for email event updates by registering with Night Sky Network.
Most of our events happen at the Chabot Space and Science Center. Get directions here.
Next General Meeting
Note that our speaker this month will be in-person, so please join us at Chabot or on Zoom.
Meeting will be held at the Chabot Space and Science Center in the Tien MegaDome Theatre. Please enter through the front entrance of the Science Center.
Our guest speaker for the evening is Dr. Rebecca Robinson, SETI Institute (in person).
TITLE: Secrets of the Sun
Though we rely on the Sun every single day, there are still many things we don’t know about it. Researchers around the world use telescopes, satellites, and computer models to try and solve some of the Sun’s greatest mysteries. Join Dr. Becca Robinson as she tells the story of how a happy accident during her research turned into a wonderful discovery, and how NASA’s Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) could help us better understand that discovery and even more! Learn how MUSE is being designed to explore the Sun’s dynamic atmosphere, observe dramatic magnetic explosions in fine detail, and predict space weather events that cause both dangerous signal outages and dazzling aurorae.
Dr. Becca Robinson is a Sun scientist, world traveler, rock collector, aurora chaser, stargazer, and the outreach lead for NASA’s upcoming Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) mission. Whether greeting visitors at Badlands National Park or cruising through the Norwegian Arctic, she enjoys spreading the beauty of solar science everywhere she goes!
Telescope Makers’ Workshop
The Telescope Maker’s Workshop is one of few regularly scheduled such workshops in the world! Every Friday from 7 to 10 PM, amateur telescope makers from the bay area meet at the Chabot Space & Science Center and learn how to grind, shape, polish, and figure mirrors for reflecting telescopes, under the guidance of EAS volunteers. The workshop is free; participants pay only for the mirror blanks and grinding tools, which generally cost between $100-$300, depending on the size of the mirror. All the instruction, grinding grit, testing equipment, and camaraderie is free of charge! For more information, email Richard Ozer at pres@eastbayastro.org, or come by the workshop any Friday to see what it’s all about.
Outreach
EAS sends volunteers to schools, libraries, and anywhere curious aspiring astronomers gather. EAS volunteers bring their own equipment or borrow telescopes. Students, parents, and teachers are always thrilled to look through the telescopes and ask questions. You’ll meet all sorts of interesting people and provide a unique and inspiring experience to kids and parents who may have never looked through a telescope before.
Inquire about and request visits by e-mailing EAS Outreach Coordinator Raymond Howard at outreach@eastbayastro.org. Visit our outreach page to find out about upcoming events.
Members Only Viewing Nights (MOVN)
Once a quarter, we schedule a Members Only Viewing Night at the Chabot Telescope Deck for both EAS and Chabot members. This is our opportunity to look through Chabot’s historic instruments and research telescope, as well as bring our own equipment to share in a more quiet venue. The schedule for MOVN will appear in the event calendar below.
2026 Barcroft High Altitude Star Party
Reservations for the Eastbay Astronomical Society’s Barcroft High-Altitude Star Party are now open to members of the EAS, the Tri-Valley Stargazer’s, and the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society clubs. This year’s event will be held the nights of Monday August 10th through Saturday August 15th, with New Moon occurring on Wednesday August 12. That’s six nights, leaving the site by noon on Sunday the 16th. Registration is required and now open.
Please read and follow these instructions carefully.
Before sending payments for reservations ($125 per night*, per person), even if you’ve been there before, please contact Don Saito FIRST (barcroft@eastbayastro.org) to ensure the dates you wish to attend are available. You will also be asked to read the current Barcroft Writeup (ver 1.8b), as it provides the information you’ll need to have a safe, comfortable stay, and what is expected of guests to this University of California research facility.
The cost, this year, is $125 per night for each person, and these are the requirements that must be met in order to get the “Good To Go!” stamp of approval. It’s a little involved, but not difficult.
0. You must be either an EAS, Tri-Valley or Mount Diablo club member or guest of a member
1. Contact Don Saito at barcroft@eastbayastro.org to find out if the dates you’d like to stay are still available
2. Provide your attestation that you’ve read the current Barcroft Writeup v1.8b
3. Sign/return to Don the Barcroft waiver(s) (which he will send you in his reply to your completing Step 1)
4. Provide your current cell phone number
5. Provide an emergency contact name and phone number
6. Indicate any special dietary requirements
7. Provide payment for however many days you want to stay (at $125 per day) (PayPal/Credit Card Only at EAS Events Page )
Refunds are possible up to 10 days (August 1st) before the start of the event.
Note: Please do the steps outlined above in sequence. Thank you.
Barcroft is one the premier amateur astronomy view sites in the world, and it’s slightly less than a day’s drive from the Bay Area to its location in the White Mountains.
Space at Barcroft is limited to a maximum of 25 people per day, so to ensure you get the days you want, make your reservations early. When entering the range of dates you plan to attend, please indicate the starting night (the day you arrive) and the ending night (the date of the evening before you actually leave.)
GSSP – Golden State Star Party
GSSP 2026 is scheduled for July 11 – July 15 at Frosty Acres Ranch in Adin, CA.For more information visit https://goldenstatestarparty.org/
Calstar
Spring Calstar 2026 is scheduled for April 15 – April 19 at Lake San Antonio. Fall Calstar will be held on September 9 – September 13. For more information visit https://calstar.observers.org/