Stratford Hall’s Star Party is going to be a big event, with stars Saturday evening and the Sun Sunday morning. RAC will present Your Next Home — Mars before dark Saturday. It looks like Sunday morning will feature an encounter between a Renaissance astronomer (yay heliocentrism!) and a Colonial astronomer (yay telescopes!). Check out the Stratford Hall Flyer for the May 6-7 Star Party. Sunday morning is a for-fee event; Scout groups may camp for a discount fee. Hope everybody can come out.

Join the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) for Astronomy Day at C.M. Crockett Park on April 29, 2017. Astronomy Day is a national event held to promote and share amateur astronomy. Come out at 3 PM to observe the Sun! Stay until nightfall to see some planets and deep sky objects! The program features solar observing through safe filters, telescopes to look at and look through when the stars come out, and presentations about astronomy, space exploration, and the night sky.The presentation portion is rain or shine. Presentations are generally appropriate for all ages. Evening observing is weather-permitting, but we can observe under even partly cloudy skies! Entrance to the park ends at 9 pm, no exceptions! Crockett Park charges $7 per vehicle if you’re not a Fauquier County or NOVAC member, but the event itself is completely free..