A Virtual Family Guide to the Night Sky In the Bay Area

Skywatchers rejoiced the end-of-year treat in the sky known as the “Christmas Star”. You can still enjoy this vibrant planetary conjunction in the evening sky as the Jupiter and Saturn come together and continue the fascination of astronomy with your family.

Kids love looking up at the night sky. It's an easy first step in the field of science simply because all you have to do is step outside and look up. The stars, moon, and planets will inspire wonder and curiosity. By building off a child’s interests in space, you can foster a love of astronomy and cosmology for kids and the Bay Area has many great VIRTUAL opportunities to pique their astro-curiosity.

MUSEUMS & PLANETARIUMS

Chabot Space & Science Center

Every Saturday
9-10:30 p.m.
Free on Facebook Live and YouTube

Join our resident astronomers on Facebook Live and YouTube every Saturday evening live from Chabot’s Observation deck!

Each week, our astronomers will guide us through spectacular night sky viewing through Nellie, Chabot‘s most powerful telescope. Weather permitting we will be able to view objects live through the telescopes and our astronomers will be available for an open forum for all of your most pressing astronomy questions.

California Academy of Science

To study the vastness of space, you need extra-large equipment. Explore Chile’s giant telescopes and meet the people behind the lenses in the Academy’s newest planetarium show.

The Lawrence at Home

Videos brought to you by the Lawrence Planetarium at UC Berkeley, hosted by John Erickson the Director of the Planetarium.

The Space Station Museum

The Space Station Museum in Novato is now doing LIVE interviews on Social Media with astronauts and other space industry experts. Check our Instagram account @thespacestationmuseum and our Facebook page for announcements and schedules.

De Anza College Planetarium

Immerse yourself in the stars! Explore the universe at the De Anza College Planetarium!
Follow our YouTube channel for more "In the Cosmos" information.
Thanks to the FHDA Foundation for captioning on our live event above.

EVENTS

Mt. Tam Star Parties

Mt. Tam Star Parties did not take place but you can view online sessions in 2020.

Learn MoreView the SFAA Monthly Lectures Online!

The SFAA has been recording many of the monthly club lectures and posting them online with the presenters’ permissions. To view the available online lectures, visit SFAA’s SlidesLive website.

You can also go to the Presidio Lectures page to view the details of the next monthly lecture.

Asteroid Day

Asteroid Day, TBD, is a global awareness campaign where people from around the world come together to learn about asteroids, the impact hazard they may pose, and what we can do to protect our planet, families, communities, and future generations from future asteroid impacts.

APPS

ISS Finder

ISS Finder a simple and beautiful way to track the International Space Station. ISS Finder provides excellent pass prediction so you'll know when and where in the sky the station is passing overhead.

Star Walk

Star Walk is the most beautiful stargazing app you’ve ever seen on a mobile device. It will become your interactive astro guide to the night sky, following your every movement in real-time and allowing you to explore over 200, 000 celestial bodies with extensive information about stars and constellations that you find.

Iridium Flares

Iridium Flares Did you ever want to see a falling star but don't want to sit outside all night waiting to see one? The next best thing is watching Iridium Flares. The advantage of them is that you can know the exact time and place when they're about to happen.

Sky Safari

Sky Safari shows you 120,000 stars, 222 of the best-known star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies in the sky; including all of the Solar System's major planets and moons, and more than 200 asteroids, comets, and satellites.

WEBSITES

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

The Nine Planets

The Nine Planets is an encyclopedic overview with facts and information about the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system and beyond.

Do you have any more Bay Area Astro-Tips? Please leave a comment.