Welcome to VBAS!
The Von Braun Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization of amateur and professional astronomers. We are sharing our love of space with the community through our planetarium and observatories located in Monte Sano State Park just east of Huntsville, Alabama.
Latest News
Donate to the VBAS Stars for All Endowment Fund
VBAS established an agency fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville in 2024. VBAS is the sole beneficiary of the distributions from this fund, which is used to provide long term financial stability for our organization. Your donation will help continue VBAS operations well into the future.
- Member Meeting – June 20Join us on Friday June 20, 2025 at 7:30 pm at the VBAS Planetarium for our monthly member meeting. Admission is open to the public. Starlore from India Astronomy is one of the oldest branches of Science. All the known ancient civilizations were equally fascinated by the motion of the Sun, Moon, Planets, and the… Read more: Member Meeting – June 20
- Astrophotography 101The Von Braun Astronomical Society is offering a beginner level classin astrophotography (AP 101). This course is designed for individualswith little knowledge of astronomy. It is planned for 3 sessions asoutlined below. Cost is $25 for VBAS members and $30 fornonmembers. Session 1: Introduction to the night sky and equipment overview Session 2: A detailed… Read more: Astrophotography 101
- Moon Tree dedicationLaunched atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Moon Tree seeds traveled into lunar orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis I mission in 2022. The seeds travelled thousands of miles beyond the Moon and spent more than 25 days in space before returning to Earth. The Von Braun Astronomical Society applied to… Read more: Moon Tree dedication
Upcoming Shows
- July 2025 Planetarium Shows
All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm.
Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.
Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.
July 5th – The Sun is Blowing a Bubble!
In addition to lighting the sky, our amazing Sun blasts the entire solar system with a supersonic wind of energetic particles. Approximately 270,000 African Elephants worth of matter streams out from the Sun every second, blowing a gigantic bubble in space that cocoons our solar system. Join us as we learn about this astonishing Solar Wind and the dangerous and wonderful ways it affects Earth and our everyday lives.
Presented by Eric Silkowski
July 12th – James Webb Telescope-The Journey So Far
Launched in December 2021, James Webb Space Telescope has revealed many unprecedented details of the universe during its two years of operation. Webb’s first images were released on July 12, 2022. Join us in a journey through space and time as we celebrate the anniversary of the first images. We will look at some of the recent images taken by JWST and learn what new things these images taught us about the cosmos.
Presented by Naveen Vetcha
July 19th – Black Holes
Most people know that black holes are strong gravity sources. What else do we know about them? Join us as we explore one of the strangest objects in the universe.
Presented by Rachel Stewart
July 26th – The Sun is Blowing a Bubble!
In addition to lighting the sky, our amazing Sun blasts the entire solar system with a supersonic wind of energetic particles. Approximately 270,000 African Elephants worth of matter streams out from the Sun every second, blowing a gigantic bubble in space that cocoons our solar system. Join us as we learn about this astonishing Solar Wind and the dangerous and wonderful ways it affects Earth and our everyday lives.
Presented by Eric Silkowski
