RAC is a non-profit organization of amateur astronomers located in the Fredericksburg Virginia area. We invite you to attend our monthly meetings and star parties to learn more about the night sky. Beginners welcome! Contact us if you would like RAC to conduct a public outreach event for your organization or a clinic for scouts.   Next club meeting: Wed. 13 June 2012, 7 PM, CRRL/HQ Branch, Cable Room, 1201 Caroline Street Next star party: Sat. 19 May 2012 at Caledon Natural Area. Sunset 8:18 PM, Moon Q4 rising 4:56 AM. Star party status:  Check back at noon on Saturday May 19.

RAC Officers Jerry Hubbell President Glenn Holliday Vice-President Tim Plunkett Treasurer Bart Billard Secretary Points of Contact Jerry Hubbell Public Outreach Glenn Holliday Scout Clinics David Abbou School Programs Glenn Holliday Star Parties Leigh Gettier Beginners Scott Busby Yahoo Group Admin Michael Masters Web/Image Editor Don Clark Internet Administrator Tim Plunkett Librarian Glenn Holliday Equipment Loan Jerry Hubbell Astrophotography Click for detailed POC listing Hover mouse for phone # Click name for email form Can't find it? Click for Site Index Become a RAC Member! Attend a RAC Star Party! Request a Public Outreach! Request a School Program! Request a Scout Clinic! Join the RAC Yahoo Group! WeatherUnderground Moon Phase U.S. Naval Observatory SDO/HMI Continuum Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) NASA Mars Today NASA Mars Model Group View Jupiter's Moons Click for Current Position Sky Map by AstroViewer ® - RAC Calendar  - RAC News 19 May 2012 - Star party at Caledon Natural Area.  Sunset 8:18 PM. Moon Q4 2% illuminated, rising 4:56 AM. Venus, Saturn, Mars visible. 26 May 2012 - Outreach star party at Lake Anna State Park.  Sunset 8:24 PM. Moon Q1 28% illuminated, sets 12:33 AM. Venus, Saturn, Mars visible. 5 June 2012 - Once in a lifetime Transit of Venus event!  The planet Venus will transit across the face of the Sun, and we will be at John Lee Pratt Memorial Park, 120 River Road, Fredericksburg to observe it safely through telescopes equipped with solar filters.  The transit begins at 6 PM and will still be in progress when the Sun sets at 8:30 PM.  For more information, visit the RAC Outreach page. 13 June 2012 - Monthly meeting at Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Headquarters Branch, Cable Room, back-left of new wing,1201 Caroline St, Fredericksburg. Meet & greet 6:45 PM.  Meeting starts 7:00 PM. Program "Radio Astronomy" by Dan Lien. Business session follows.  Meeting ends 8:50 PM.  - Image of the Month  -   Horsehead and Flame Nebulae by Ranny Heflin Recent News 10 May 2012 - May program DSLR Astrophotography (PDF) by Ranny Heflin posted on Documents page. 9 May 2012 - Monthly meeting at Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Headquarters Branch, Cable Room, back-left of new wing,1201 Caroline St, Fredericksburg. Meet & greet 6:45 PM.  Meeting starts 7:00 PM. Program "DSLR Astrophotography" by Ranny Heflin. Business session follows.  Meeting ends 8:50 PM. 1 May 2012 - Image of the Month Horsehead and Flame Nebulae by Ranny Heflin 29 April 2012 - April meeting minutes posted. 14 April 2012 - CANCELLED due to weather. Star party at Caledon Natural Area.  Sunset 7:46 PM. Moon Q4 37% illuminated, rising 2:52 AM. Venus, Saturn, Mars visible. Members only opportunity at Belmont Observatory 21 April 2012. 13 April - April program, Filters and Coatings for Visual Astronomy by Michael Masters posted on Documents page, in Programs section. 11 April 2012 - Monthly meeting at Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Headquarters Branch, Cable Room, back-left of new wing,1201 Caroline St, Fredericksburg. Meet & greet 6:45 PM.  Meeting starts 7:00 PM. Program "Filters and Coatings for Visual Astronomy" by Michael Masters. Business session follows.  Meeting ends 9:00 PM. 1 April 2012 - Image of the Month Sun in H-Alpha by Michael Masters - News Archive - Astronomy News NASA News NASA Science Science at NASA NASA Solar System NASA ISS Live TV ISS Tracking NASA Hubble Hubble Site Night Sky Network Sky & Telescope News S&T Observing Highlights Astronomy Magazine News Science Daily Astrophysics Astronomy Picture of the Day Hubble Site Tonight's Sky Discovery Space News Jodrell Bank Night Sky Satellite Tracking  JPL  ||  NSF    IAU  ||  USNO ESA  ||  ESO CERN  ||  LHC   Space.com SpaceWeather Universe Today SpaceRef.com Astronomy Tools Moon Phase Calendar NASA Solar System Simulator Evening Sky Map Buying a telescope? Download our Telescope Buyers Resource Guide (PDF)! What are RAC members' favorite objects? Visit our Observer Notes page! Want to use our members-only loaner equipment? Visit our Library page! Wondering when to arrive at a star party? Visit our What to Expect section! What happens at a star party? Check out our Star Party Etiquette page! Site Navigation? Fair Use Policy? Affiliations? Check out RAC FAQs! Host services provided by Central Rappahannock Regional Library To download a free copy of Adobe's PDF Reader, click here! Weather WeatherUnderground Clear Sky Clock King George, Virginia Clear Sky Clock Belmont Observatory Weather.gov Virginia Graphical Fredericksburg Weather.com Intellicast.com AccuWeather.com USNO Astro Apps USNO/NIST Time NOAA Magnetic Dec NOAA GOES Satellite Visible Cloud Loop Satellite Server Home Intellicast Satellite View Intellicast.com Day/Night View by AstroViewer ® Auroral Oval NOAA POES Satellite Real-time ISS Tracking Space.Cweb.nl

For more information or to request a public outreach event, contact RAC's President via email. Telephone contact info is on the AboutRAC page. Site Index Questions or comments about this web site may be directed by email to RAC's Web Editor. Telephone contact info is on the AboutRAC page.