VBAS

All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm. Admission opens at 7:00pm. Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights

March 4 – Huntsville’s Place in Space

As we prepare to go back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, the importance that Huntsville played both back then and right now is something to remember. Join Michael Buford for a look through the history of Huntsville’s amazing contributions in aviation, its massive importance during the Space Race, as well as Huntsville’s place in space now and in the future!

Written and presented by Michael Buford

March 11 and 18 – The Real Death Star: Neutron Stars…with a helping of Nuclear Pasta

George Lucas gave us the fictional Death Star, but did you know the universe is full of real death stars? Neutron Stars, remnants of supernovas, are the real thing. They can produce beams of energy sweeping through space that can sterilize an entire planet. When first discovered as pulsars they were even thought to be aliens! Join us as we explore these extreme stars where ordinary matter is crushed into a very unappetizing dish called “Nuclear Pasta.”

Presented by Eric Silkowski

March 25 – Spring Skies

Around the time of the Spring Equinox, the early evening sees the brilliant stars of the winter night sky setting, and a slightly less dazzling collection of constellations take their place. But our place in space at this time of year allows us a view into the deepest parts of the Universe to see many intriguing treasures. Indeed, this is the time of year that amateur astronomers plan marathons to try to observe as many as possible! In our show, we will explore the spring constellations, some of the objects that you can discover among them, and learn how the motion of the Earth around the Sun and the position of the Sun in our Milky Way galaxy combine to provide our fascinating Spring Skies.

Written and presented by Alex Hall

And the seventh planet is…. ?

When our tiny bathroom was built along with our first observatory in 1956, you had to climb stairs to view the stars, so no-one really thought about having a toilet that could accommodate a wheelchair, a parent with a child, or anyone with any mobility difficulties. There were even plans for a much larger facility with classrooms, labs and more bathrooms! But then Von Braun and friends got a bit busy building a rocket to go to the Moon.

Nearly 70 years later, we reach over 5000 visitors a year with our weekly planetarium show, observing nights, events and outreach into our community.  But we still have that solitary toilet, down a narrow corridor, and the lines can get pretty long.

While the society usually finds receptive ears in its grant requests for new outreach equipment, servicing our vintage planetarium projector and purchasing telescope parts, we have struggled to find someone willing to help with a fundamental visitor comfort issue.

We usually bring in porta potties for large daytime events, but this is not a good permanent solution. They usually don’t have lights, and no HVAC either, which could be more than miserable in the freezing cold or humidity and heat. 

The nearest sewer line is at the RV park toilet block – a long, long way uphill of us. It is unclear whether we’d be allowed to install a new larger septic any more – that isn’t allowed for main residential construction on Monte Sano and we’re close to the edge of the outcropping which isn’t ideal for a leach field. 

We are seeking funds (likely ~$45,000) to install a semi-permanent toilet trailer, with an ADA stall and ramp and at least one additional stall – or a similar solution that solves our visitor needs. You’ve probably seen these kinds of trailers at events in our downtown or elsewhere. The City Parks and Rec even looked to see if it had anything, but nothing small enough was available. 

We have the water and power hookups, and we can afford regular pumping (although we’d love to get that sponsored too!)
It’s not a sexy ask, but everyone will benefit and having better toilets will allow us to increase the number of events we can do on site.
We will use any funds raised towards site preparations, materials, and facilities acquisition and – if we raise more than we need – we’ll use the funds for ongoing maintenance (pumping, toilet paper and the like!)
Of course, if anyone reading has a suitable ADA toilet trailer, or works for an RV shop or similar and wants to talk to us about building what we need – we’d be delighted to engage. also, if any planner, environmental health person or other suitably qualified professional wants to help us investigate the septic/sewer ideas, again, reach out.

“Can’t you rent a toilet trailer instead?”
We’re a non-profit with no credit history and no fixed income (other than planetarium shows). Rental agreements and financing agreements would require personal guarantees and that’s not something the volunteers want to sign up for (we love what we do, but there are limits!)

“Shouldn’t the Park provide the toilets?”
Our lease with the Park is very clear that we are responsible for the maintenance, upkeep and improvement of our facilities. They would be happy for us to improve things, but it won’t be on their dime.

“How long will it last?”
If we take care of it, and also provide some protection for it, then it should last a decade or more. That buys us a lot of time to figure out a solution that will last for the next 70 years!

“Will you sell stickers or T shirts?”
We’ve had some truly awesome crowdfunding ideas (I give a crap about VBAS…  VBAS, best place for a Full Moon.. and so on). We’re looking into that. If you want to help, reach out!

We’d like to thank the Huntsville Redditors, Fox54, and WLRH for talking about our needs and supporting us. 

All planetarium shows begin at 7:30pm. Admission opens at 7:00pm. Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights

February 4 – The Sun and Solar Cycle 25: Connections Between the Sun and the Solar System

What if you flipped a light switch and there was no light? What if Google Maps stopped working or was inaccurate? This planetarium program will “illuminate” you (pardon the pun) and teach you how the Sun could affect you in ways other than sunburn. Understanding and predicting the rise and fall of sunspots, the solar cycle, is important for modern society and for human exploration of space.

Presented by Mitzi Adams

February 11 – African American Astronomers

During Black History Month VBAS will be celebrating the accomplishments of three African American
Astronomers. Two brilliant scientists from the recent past and one currently doing state-of-the-art research.
This is an educational program designed for students and people of all ages.

Presented by Gena Crook

February 18 – Huntsville’s Place in Space

As we prepare to go back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, the importance that Huntsville
played both back then and right now is something to remember. Join Michael Buford for a look through the
history of Huntsville’s amazing contributions in aviation, its massive importance during the Space Race, as
well as Huntsville’s place in space now and in the future!

Presented by Michael Buford

February 25 – African American Astronomers

During Black History Month VBAS will be celebrating the accomplishments of three African American
Astronomers. Two brilliant scientists from the recent past and one currently doing state-of-the-art research.
This is an educational program designed for students and people of all ages.

Presented by Gena Crook

Members of VBAS and Starry Skies South put together an article detailing Huntsville’s recent roll out of LED illumination. Read it here!

Star of Wonder

December 3rd, 10th at 7:30pm

On the evenings of December 3^rd and December 10^th VBAS will be hosting its special “Star of Wonder” planetarium show.  This show is unique in that VBAS volunteers dress up as the 3 Wisemen and present the Christmas Story from a first century perspective.  Be prepared to enter the world of 1^st century Judea as the planetarium is filled with incense and songs of the season.  The Wisemen’s story will include reading excerpts from the Bible of the Christmas Story and a scientific analysis of the potential causes of the star that guided them to Bethlehem.  Of course, in the bags they carry the Wisemen will have treats for children in attendance.  Be sure to arrive early as this show typically fills up quickly.  We will have telescope viewing from our observing field following the show weather permitting.

Presented by Donald Reed, Jared Cassidy, and Tom Burleson

Star of Wonder

December 17th at 7:30pm

What exactly was the star that the Wisemen saw? Was it a star that stood in the sky two-thousand years ago and marked a single location in Bethlehem? Each year at this special time, VBAS turns back the hands of time to look into the sky of long ago and search for this mysterious object. As we ponder the skies of Bethlehem, we’ll explore several possibilities including comets, meteors, novae and other phenomena as well as examine the origins of some of the Christmas traditions we celebrate today.

Presented by Beth Bero

CLOSED for Winter Break

December 24th, 31st

Please join us at 7:30pm on November 18th for our monthly members meeting at VBAS!

Radio Astronomy from the Moon: A discussion on the science from upcoming CLPS missions to the lunar surface with low frequency radioastronomy instruments

We’re welcoming guest speaker Dr. Heidi Haviland, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Heidi’s scientific research focuses on understanding planetary interiors using electromagnetic geophysical methods, neutron measurements, seismic normal modes, and the space plasma environment of airless bodies such as the Moon. She is the project scientist of the Neutron Measurements at the Lunar Surface (NMLS) instrument that will fly on Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission one, and a science team member on the InSight mission. Heidi also leads an interdisciplinary research group focused on understanding the chemistry of the Moon through thermoelastic and petrological modeling. Heidi is the Project Scientist for the CLPS PRISM1a (CP-11) delivery which will investigate the Reiner Gamma surface swirl.

Radio Observatories

November 5th, 12th at 7:30pm

We’ll be taking a look at radio telescopes of the past, present, and future. Radio telescopes have some very interesting designs and have made some extremely important discoveries. Radio Astronomy is even in VBAS’ near future. They’ll be opportunities for you to participate if you are interested.

Presented by Gena

Stars Fell on Alabama

November 19th at 7:30pm

The Leonid meteor shower occurs every year in mid-November. This year the peak will happen in the early morning of November 18th. Ms. Beth Bero will teach you how best to enjoy the meteors and where the meteors come from. This program is certain to be educational for the whole family.

Presented by Beth Bero

CLOSED for Thanksgiving!

November 26th