Join us for a family-friendly event to view the night sky through telescopes and learn about the science of astronomy.

Location: Cleman’s View Sports Park, 8894 Hwy 12, Naches, WA 98937

We’re also raffling off TWO beginner-level telescopes at this event, so you won’t want to miss it!

Astronomy Night is a joint event with members of the Yakima Valley Astronomy Club, and Yakima Valley Libraries.

The University of Washington Astronomy Department is bringing their popular "Astronomy on Tap" lecture series to Yakima on May 7. This free event will take place at Single Hill Brewing and feature a pair of talks by UW faculty and graduate students, as well as a round of astronomy trivia. YVAC will be providing telescopes for Moon and planet viewing before and after the event. If you are interested in bringing a telescope, let us know!

When: Wed, May 7, 7:00-9:00 pm

Where: Single Hill Brewing (102 N Naches Ave, Yakima, WA, 98901)

To celebrate National Astronomy Day, YVAC will be holding a public stargazing night at Zillah Middle School in partnership with the Yakima Valley Libraries. Feel free to bring your own telescope if you are comfortable sharing with visitors, or look through ours! 

When: Sat, May 3, 8:30pm to 10pm

Where: Zillah Middle School Fields (1301 Cutler Way, Zillah, WA 98953)

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The club observing event has been POSTPONED again due to cloudy conditions. Check back for the rescheduled date. We will try for the 25th or 26th of April.
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Join us for night time observing on Friday, March 28th. Saturday April 5th. Open to all with or without telescopes. We should have plenty available if you don’t have an instrument of your own.

For this event, club member Craig Nedrow has offered to host us at his residence. Craig has an amazing property far from city lights with good views of all horizons. 

Getting There: Craig's address is 18501 N. Wenas Rd Selah WA 98942. However, Google Maps does not show the correct location. CLICK HERE to view a map of the actual location. Once you reach Wenas Lake, continue for 3.5 miles and look for two big pine trees, and their mailbox right out front with the house number. We highly recommend arriving before dark, so you can find the property and get set up before dark.

Start Time: Arrive at around 7:30pm, get set up, and we'll start observing by about 8:30. 

Bring warm clothes, warm drinks, and anything to make the stay comfortable. If we get clear skies, the viewing should be amazing. If not, we'll have to reschedule. Hope to see you there! 

For our February club meeting, Sam Knox and Zach Schierl will present on how to get started in amateur astronomy, with a look ahead at astronomy events happening this year. If you’re new to the club or new to astronomy, this is the event for you!

In additional, we will also present on observing highlights for 2025. A total lunar eclipse, meteor showers, and a unique perspective on Saturn's rings are among the events to look forward to over the next 12 months.

When: Wed, Feb 19, 7:00 pm
Where: Yakima Valley College Astronomy Classroom, Glenn Anthon Hall (free Parking in Lot A), Room 215

Our first event of the year will be a night of planetary observing in celebration of the "planetary parade" visible all through January. Six planets will be in good viewing position, and if the clouds stay away, we should get an exciting show.

The event takes place at club-founder Sam Knox's house in Selah. Electricity and a nearby outbuilding are available to help stay warm, but it's January so dress appropriately!

Bring your scope, bundle up, and spend an evening exploring our solar system! If you're new to the hobby and don't have any equipment, no worries. We'll have plenty to share.

When: Saturday, January 25th, from 6pm to 10pm
Where: Home of Sam Knox, in Selah. For directions, please RSVP by sending an email to: maxamew@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

For our November Meeting, club member Dawson Lapsley has agreed to demonstrate some of his astrophotography and image processing techniques for us. If you're new to astrophotography, or want to develop your skills, this seminar is for you!

Other club members are also welcome to share or discuss their work! Bring your cool photos, or just questions you may have about the hobby.

When: Tuesday, Nov 19, 6:30 pm
Where: Yakima Valley College Astronomy Classroom, Glenn Anthon Hall (building 4 on attached map, free Parking in Lot A), Room 215
Click here for campus map (PDF)

Hope to see you there!

The Yakima Valley Astronomy Club is hosting a family-friendly stargazing event. The club will have several telescopes available for the public to use for viewing the moon, planets, and stars.

Where: Naches Valley High School Football Field. (101 5th St., Naches, WA)
When: Saturday, October 12th, from 6pm to 8pm

Join us for night time observing on Saturday, September 28th. Open to all with or without telescopes. We should have plenty available if you don’t have an instrument of your own.

For this event, club member Craig Nedrow has offered to host us at his residence. Craig has an amazing property far from city lights with good views of all horizons. 

Getting There: Craig's address is 18501 N. Wenas Rd Selah WA 98942. However, Google Maps does not show the correct location. CLICK HERE to view a map of the actual location. Once you reach Wenas Lake, continue for 3.5 miles and look for two big pine trees, and their mailbox right out front with the house number. We highly recommend arriving before dark, so you can find the property and get set up before dark.

Bring warm clothes, warm drinks, and anything to make the stay comfortable. If we get clear skies, the viewing should be amazing. If not, we'll have to reschedule. Hope to see you there! 

Club member Craig Nedrow has offered to host us at his residence near Wenas Lake on the evening of Friday, May 10th. Craig has an amazing property far from city lights with good views of all horizons. 

Getting There: Craig's address is 18501 N. Wenas Rd Selah WA 98942. However, Google Maps does not show the correct location. CLICK HERE to view a map of the actual location. Once you reach Wenas Lake, continue for 3.5 miles and look for two big pine trees, and their mailbox right out front with the house number. We highly recommend arriving before dark, so you can find the property and get set up before dark.

Bring warm clothes, warm drinks, and anything to make the stay comfortable. If we get clear skies, the viewing should be amazing. If not, we'll have to reschedule. Hope to see you there! 

Spring is here and there couldn't be a better time to dust off that telescope in the garage! YVAC has received several recent inquiries from folks wanting to learn how to use their telescope. If that sounds like you, bring your equipment to this meeting and we'll help you get it set up and navigate the basics of telescope use. 

If you are already a telescope whiz, join us to help the new folks out! Hopefully by the end of the meeting, everyone will be comfortable setting up their scope and ready to take them outside on the next clear spring night! 

This event will be held at the home of Sam Knox. Contact Sam (maxamew@gmail.com) for directions and to RSVP.

YVAC will be hosting a booth for Yakima School District's STEAM night on April 18 at YVTech. The event runs from 6-8 pm, so weather permitting, we plan to set up our telescope booth outside and show guests the Sun and Moon. 

If you have a telescope you are comfortable sharing with the public and would like to assist with this event, let us know. We would love to get some additional club members involved in order to expand our capacity to participate in public astronomy outreach.

For correspondence, send an email to Sam Knox: maxamew@gmail.com

*** EVENT RESCHEDULED TO FRIDAY, MARCH 15TH ***

In conjunction with the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, we’re hosting a pubic stargazing event at Snow Mountain Ranch. The event starts at 7:30pm, on Friday, March 15th. We will have several telescopes on site, but of course please bring any instruments you have as well!

Click here for directions to the Snow Mountain Ranch parking lot.

Where: Yakima Valley College Astronomy Classroom, Glenn Anthon Hall (building 4, free Parking in Lot A), Room 215

When: Thursday, February 22nd, 2024. 6pm to 8pm

Join us for a discussion of astrophotography techniques and equipment. Let's learn from each other...all levels welcome! If you would be interested in sharing some of your work during the meeting, let Zach (zschierlphotography@gmail.com) know. 

See the YVC Campus Map for directions.

*** Event postponed due to adverse weather ***

Whether you are a beginning, intermediate, or advanced astrophotographer, join us in January for a discussion of equipment and techniques. We'll have a projector and screen available for anyone who would like to showcase their work and tell us about it. 
 

When: Thursday, Jan 18, 6:00 pm
Where: Yakima Valley College Astronomy Classroom, Glenn Anthon Hall (free Parking in Lot A), Room 215

View a YVC Campus Map (Glenn Anthon Hall is building number 4)

* Rescheduled from Nov 3rd *

In conjunction with the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, we’re hosting a pubic stargazing event at Snow Mountain Ranch. The event starts at 7pm, on Friday, November 3rd. We will have several telescopes on site, but of course please bring any instruments you have as well!

Register Here

*It can get cold and windy at night, so please dress warmly.

Join us at 7pm Saturday, October 14th at the Bear Canyon Trailhead, just off of Highway 12. Park at the trailhead and walk a short distance up the dirt track to the wide flat area. We'll start observing at about 9pm and go until we get tired!

As usual, we’ll have a couple of scopes of our own to share. Bring your instrument and we can help you get set up and answer questions you have.

Layer up and bring something warm to drink and you should be nicely comfortable. If you have questions, email Sam at: maxamew@gmail.com

Hope to see you out there!

Our next nighttime observing event is at 8pm on Friday, September 8th at the Bear Canyon Trailhead, just off of Highway 12. Park at the trailhead and walk a short distance up the dirt track to the wide flat area. We'll start observing at about 9pm and go until we get tired!

As usual, we’ll have a couple of scopes of our own to share. Bring your instrument and we can help you get set up and answer questions you have. If you don't own any telescopes, consider renting a telescope for the night.

The days are still warm, but it cools off at night. Layer up and bring something warm to drink and you should be nicely comfortable. If you have questions, email Sam at: maxamew@gmail.com

Hope to see you out there!

YVAC member Bob Yoesle has graciously offered to share his solar observing knowledge and instruments with the club on Saturday, July 29th. We'll meet at Sam's place starting at about 2pm for observing, then for those who'd like to stick around, we'll throw a BBQ and finish with a presentation about solar astronomy. An action-packed event for sure!

Bob will treat us to both hydrogen-alpha and "white light" filtered telescopic views of the sun. That means we'll be able to see both sunspots, and "solar prominences" - a rare view into the solar activity of the corona. As the sun is approaching the next solar maximum, we should be in for some really cool sights.

As always - never look at the sun with a telescope, unless equipped with proper filtration.

If you're interested in attending, please RSVP with Sam at: maxamew@gmail.com for directions to the property. Event is from 2pm to about 8pm.

With sunset getting later in the evening, we are not planning an observing event for June. Instead, we'll have a club meeting at the home of Sam Knox on Wed, June 14 from 7pm to 9pm. Zach Schierl will provide an overview of the Celestron 11-inch telescope and imaging system that he obtained for Yakima as part of the RECON project in January.

If you're interested in astrophotography, this event is for you! Please RSVP to Sam at: maxamew@gmail.com for directions to the property.

RECON (Research and Education Collaborative Occultation Network) is a network of identical telescopes stationed in communities from Canada to Yuma, AZ. An occultation occurs when a nearby object (such as a planet or asteroid) passes in front of a distant star. The RECON project observes occultations to better understand the size, shape, and orbits of small solar system bodies. The project is currently entering a new phase in which observations will focus on characterizing Trojan asteroids (asteroids which share Jupiter's orbit) in support of NASAs Lucy mission which was launched in 2021. Come learn about how the telescope and imaging system works, and how you can get involved! This will also be an opportunity to discuss other astrophotography related topics. 

Our next club observing night starts at 8pm on Friday, May 12th at the Bear Canyon Trailhead, just off of Highway 12. Park at the trailhead and walk a short distance up the dirt track to a wide flat area where we will set up our gear. We'll start observing at about 9pm and go until we get tired!

As usual, Zach and I will bring our telescopes. Bring your own instrument and we can help you get set up and answer questions you have. If you don't own any telescopes, we're happy to share ours or you can consider renting a telescope for the night.

The days are getting nicely warm, but it cools right off at night. Layer up and bring something warm to drink and you should be nicely comfortable. If you have questions, email Sam at: maxamew@gmail.com

Hope to see you out there!

Since our galaxy observing event got clouded out, let’s get together for some socializing and casual Lunar observing on Friday, April 28th. Club co-founder Sam Knox will host the event at his 3-acre farm just outside of Selah, WA.

Event starts at 7pm and runs until 10pm (or later if folks want!). Beverages and snacks will be served and the warehouse open for people to relax in. Bring your scopes, or just yourselves, and let’s have some fun!

Please RSVP to Sam at: maxamew@gmail.com and I’ll give you directions to the property.

*** FRIDAY the 21st event canceled due to clouds ***

Our next club observing event is on Tuesday, April 18th starting at dusk (8pm) and going until about 11pm. It’s “galaxy season” so bring your telescopes and let’s enjoy a night of observing together!

Location is at the Rosa Campground in the Yakima River Canyon. There’s a large parking area right off the highway, with decent views to every horizon (with some hills to contend with).

Nights are chilly, so layer up and bring something warm to drink. If you have questions, you can email Sam at: maxamew@gmail.com

If we get clouds, the fall back date will be Friday, April 21st.

Rescheduled from March 14th.

Join us in the parking area at the Snow Mt. Ranch trailhead for a night of astronomical observation. We will bring several telescopes, but of course bring what you have as well! In fact, Sam and Zach will be on site early (6:30pm) if you want any help with your equipment before darkness falls.

Provided that there’s clear weather, observing should be great. It’s a wonderful time to view the sights in winter constellations like Orion, Taurus, Gemini, Canis Major, and more. Venus will be visible at sunset as well and is always a treat.

Important: Dress warmly! Night time temperatures will likely be at or below freezing. Layer up, wear hats and gloves, and bring something warm to drink.

This event is in conjunction with the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy (CCC). The CCC preserves and manages thousands of acres of open space in the Yakima Valley. Visit their website to learn more and consider making a charitable donation to support this important organization.

We are kicking off 2023 with a YVAC meetup at Single Hill Brewing on Wed, Feb 22nd at 6:00 pm. Our goal is to host at least one club event each month in 2023: a mix of club observing nights, meetings, outreach events, and perhaps even a field trip or two! We have a tentative schedule of events planned for the year and want to hear your thoughts. Come join us as we plan out year two of the Yakima Valley Astronomy Club!

Weather permitting, we are hoping to get one more club observing night in before it gets REAL cold! We hope you can join us at Bear Canyon Trailhead on Thu, Nov 17th for a night of observing under dark skies. Bring your telescope, camera, binoculars, or just yourself! Note that the flat observing site is about 200 yards from the parking area. Club members will be on hand if you need assistance hauling equipment.

Be sure to dress warm, and hope to see you there!

Public stargazing event at Snow Mountain Ranch in conjunction with the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. We will have several telescopes on site, but of course please bring any instruments you have as well! We’ll primarily be viewing Jupiter and Saturn as they are near their favorable oppositions for the best viewing of the year.

Register Here

*It can get cold and windy at night, so please dress warmly. Hot beverages are also encouraged.

*This event depends on clear skies. If skies look cloudy, we will plan on hosting this event on the following night – Friday, October 14, 7pm.

We are planning a club observing session at Bear Canyon Trailhead on Thu, Sept 22nd at 7:00 pm. Bring your telescope, camera, binoculars, or just yourself and join us for a night of observing under some of the darkest skies in the Yakima area. Note that the flat observing site is about 200 yards from the parking area. Club members will be on hand if you need assistance hauling equipment.

Hope to see you there!

Join us at Single Hill Brewery at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, Aug 24th for a Yakima Valley Astronomy Club meet-up and socialize with other astronomy enthusiasts in the Yakima area. As the club is still new, we'd like to hear from you about your ideas and what events you'd like to see from the club in the future!