Back Bay Amateur Astronomers "Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads"


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Video background was created by Melvin Sprull

One of the primary jobs of the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers is to do outreach and this video is a clip from a typical event. This video was taken at the club's monthly event we call Saturday "Sun" Day where club members show views of the Earth's closest star, our Sun, to visitors. Video filmed on January 28, 2023 at the Elizabeth River Park in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Credits:

  • Melvin M Spruill

BACK BAY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

"Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads"

BACK BAY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

"Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads"

BACK BAY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

"Bringing Astronomy to the People of Hampton Roads"

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Welcome to the BBAA website

We are a group of dedicated amateur astronomers drawn together by a common interest in astronomy. Our club was founded on December 14, 1978 by members dedicated to promoting amateur astronomy.

We invite you to come to our any of our free monthly events to take a look through our telescopes and learn more about the night sky.

The BBAA is an active member society of the Astronomical League, a part of the Night Sky Network, and a member of the Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies (VAAS). We are also active on social media. Please visit our social media pages on BBAA Yahoo Group, BBAA Facebook Group, BBAA Twitter page, BBAA Facebook page and Instagram to stay up to date with our club's latest activities.

Clear skies

AL logo

BBAA logo

NSN logo

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

(APOD)

Click on the picture to open the APOD website for a higher resolution image with a description of the photo

What's Happening This Month

All events below with a will have an observing session of the sky involved and unless otherwise noted, are free, kid friendly, and open to the public. For all other events please use the guidelines below.

  • These events have a fee required by the event organizer
  • Events have special requirements, see event details on our calendar. IE: reservations are required
  • These events are private and NOT open to the general public
  • These events take place in a classroom settings

To find out more information about the events listed below go to our calendar and click on the event link that you want more information for.

In the BBAA In the Sky
July 1: Garden Stars July 3: Conjunction of Venus and Uranus
July 2: Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay Active Aging Week July 4: Neptune enters retrograde motion
July 5: Saturday 'Sun' Day July 10: Full Moon
July 8: Boardwalk Astronomy #2 July 13: Saturn enters retrograde motion
July 11: Astronomy on the Rooftop July 16: Conjunction of the Moon and Saturn
July 12: Summer Picnic July 21: Conjunction of the Moon and Venus
July 18: Cornwatch July 23: Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter
July 19: Skywatch July 24: New Moon
July 25: Cornwatch > July 28: Conjunction of the Moon and Mars
July 26: Nightwatch July 28: Piscis Austrinid meteor shower
July 30: Ξ±-Capricornid meteor shower

If you're planning to attend an event, please see our Event Information page. There you will find useful information about BBAA events and links for directions to our observing sites. Please also take the time to read our expected event etiquette for all attendees.

To see event details on the Night Sky Network head over to our club's Calendar page and click on the event you want more details about.

For more information on what's happening in the sky this week, see Sky & Telescope's "This Week's Sky at a Glance" page.

Download a free map of the sky from Skymaps.com "The Evening Sky Map".

Jupiter Asteroid Impact Detection Project

Our club is helping assist with this project. You do NOT have to be a member of our club to participate. If you are interested in contributing please see our Jupiter Asteroid Impact Detection Project page.

Benito Loyola's GIF animation of an imaging run from 2019-05-28-0145 to 2019-05-28-0516 GMT of Jupiter and its moons.

BBAA Spotlight Photo/Video

Photo Credit: Shawn Loescher

Congratulations to this years scholarship winner, Mia Dehesa Cady-Chase - Princess Anne High School on winning $3,500.00 of scholarship money for her college education.!

Observing Programs

BBAA club members dues pay for Astronomical League (AL) membership. This membership allows our club members to participate in the many Astronomical League observing programs. The AL programs are designed to provide a direction for your observations and to provide a goal. The programs have awards and pins to recognize the observers’ accomplishments and for demonstrating their observing skills with a variety of instruments and objects. The BBAA was responsible for creating the Astronomical League's Planetary Nebula Program. A detailed history of the programs inception is available on our page. For further information on observing programs, see our Observing Programs page or the Astronomical League's official page.

Planetary Nebula Program

Lapel pin awarded for completion of the Planetary Nebula Program

Current Sun and Moon

Norfolk, VA

Sun

Moon

Current Solar System Configuration

This interactive 3D model shows the today's configuration of the major bodies of the Solar System along their orbits.

BBAA Contact Info

Have questions? Drop us a note!

BBAA, PO Box 9877, Virginia Beach, VA 23450-9877

Information email contacts all club officers

info -at backbayastro -dot org

BBAA Twitter Feed
BBAA Membership and Social Media

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