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Veil nebula. Photo courtesy of Gary Salisbury.
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Astronomy is most enjoyable when it is shared. We offer a number of options for you to visit with us and learn from us. The ORAS Events and Outreach program brings ORAS members and their knowledge of astronomy together with astronomy enthusiasts from the community.
Star Parties at ORALC
Enjoy an evening under the stars at one of our scheduled star parties at ORALC -- the Oil Region Astronomy Learning Center. See our About Events page for information about our star parties.
ORAS Meetings
ORAS members meet throughout the year to enjoy presentations and discussions on astronomy. You are welcome to be our guest at these meetings. Our presenters cover a wide variety of topics that may include observing techniques, optical equipment, telescope making, astrotourism, and current events in astronomy. If you are just beginning your study of astronomy, these meetings are a great opportunity to learn from our members and presenters. Most meetings can be attended via Zoom.
ORAS Workshops
In the summer of 2023 we presented two workshops, one on basic astronomy for beginners, and one on nature and night sky photography. See our ORAS Workshops page for details.
AstroBlast at ORALC
AstroBlast at ORALC is our premier annual event. It features dark-sky observing, technical presentations from amateur and professional astronomers, and family fun. AstroBlast 2024, which is scheduled for October 1- 6, will mark the 30th anniversary of this event. Save the dates!
Please note the change from the dates that were originally proposed.
Please note the change from the dates that were originally proposed.
2024 Calendar of Events
ORAS Virtual and In-person Public Night on Saturday, April 13, 2024 -- Origins: a personal journey in astronomical imaging
Please join us on Saturday, April 13 at 7:00 PM, for Public Night at the Oil Region Astronomy Learning Center, including a presentation by Mr. Tim DeBenedictis, Senior Developer for Celestron and SkySafari. His presentation titled, “Origins: a personal journey in astronomical imaging” will highlight Tim’s journey as a developer of the Celestron Origin Telescope and new technologies in support of amateur astronomers globally. You can attend this presentation either in person or via Zoom.
Who can attend? Anyone who is interested in learning more about ORAS and astronomy-related topics may attend. We strongly encourage members of the general public and educators and students from surrounding schools to participate. Public nights are FREE and open to all. Public Nights include a brief update about Learning Center activities, followed by the education presentation. In an effort to prevent spamming, those interested in participating virtually must register in advance. A link to the virtual event will then be emailed to you separately.
How can I register? It’s simple to register. Please sign up before noon on April 13(EDT). CLICK the link below to register.
https://forms.gle/KFCjegXinXA1D9tL9
ORAS Public Night Agenda - Saturday, April 13, at 7:00 PM
6:30 PM – Learning Center Opens for those joining in-person (visit http://www.oras.org for directions to the Observatory
6:50 PM – 7:00 PM: Zoom Session Opens – Opportunity for Tech-Check to make sure your system is working. (Link will be emailed to you after you register)
7:00 PM – 7:10 PM: ORAS News and Updates
7:10 PM – 8:00 PM: Education Presentation: Origins: a personal journey in astronomical imaging
8:30 – 10:30 PM: Observing through ORAS Telescopes (Weather permitting). There will be no observing if it’s cloudy or raining.
About the Presenter– Mr. Tim DeBenedictis is a patented software architect. His work focuses primarily in the areas of space and astronomy. Tim owes his success to his exposure to software development in many diverse fields, from digital audio to e-commerce security to compiler front ends. He’s worked at 2-person startups and Fortune 500 companies and has grown his own app business into a telescope industry standard, negotiated its sale, and launched his own crowd-funded CubeSat into orbit with the proceeds.
Tim fits into a lot of boxes. If you have a challenge involving image processing or high-performance computing, or if you want help turning your wild ideas into a business - especially if they involve space or astronomy – he’s probably interested. Tim is an architect who loves seeing plans become reality, and enjoys helping organizations grow, by establishing solid software engineering practices and good team methodologies. While Tim is probably best known for development of SkySafari, more recently he worked with Celestron to develop their new Origin Telescope. For fun, Tim enjoys backpacking, cycling, hiking, photography (terrestrial and astronomical), and international travel, including Antarctica!
Tim fits into a lot of boxes. If you have a challenge involving image processing or high-performance computing, or if you want help turning your wild ideas into a business - especially if they involve space or astronomy – he’s probably interested. Tim is an architect who loves seeing plans become reality, and enjoys helping organizations grow, by establishing solid software engineering practices and good team methodologies. While Tim is probably best known for development of SkySafari, more recently he worked with Celestron to develop their new Origin Telescope. For fun, Tim enjoys backpacking, cycling, hiking, photography (terrestrial and astronomical), and international travel, including Antarctica!
Cancellation policy
ORAS reserves the right to cancel events and outreach programs due to inclement weather, due to health or safety issues, or due to other unforeseen circumstances. Please monitor our social media posts for cancellation notices.
Previous Public Night Presentations
April 16, 2024: Ms. Yasmin Catricheo, “The Sun and Moon: Mapuche Cosmovision of the Universe”
February 17, 2024 Mr. Gary Purinton, "The 2024 Eclipse Megamovie: Capturing Totality"
January 27, 2024: Dr. Richard Lloyd, "Black Holes from Birth to Death"
November 25, 2023: Mr. Dean Miskovich, "Comets -- A Brief Study"
October 28, 2023: Dr. Susan Prezzano, "Ancient Astronomy in Europe and Western Asia"
September 23, 2023: Mr. Dean Salisbury, "Photography: Birds to Stars"
July 22, 2023: Mr. Larry McHenry, "Planetary Nebulae: From Messier to Abell—What They Are and How to Observe Them"
June 22, 2023: Ms. Suzana Filipecki Martins, "How to Name an Exoplanet, and Other Activities of the IAU's Office for Astronomy Outreach"
May 27, 2023: “Your Night: ORAS Panel Answers your Astronomy Questions"
April 15, 2023: Mr. Tim Spuck, “Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries."
March 25, 2023: Mr. Bruce Howard, "Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence."
February 25, 2023: Mr. Dean Miskovich, "Stars."
January 21, 2023: Mr. Larry McHenry, "Solar Observing -- An Introduction to Solar Features and Observing Techniques."
October 15, 2022: Dr. Susan Prezzano, "Recent Discoveries in Archaeoastronomy."
September 17, 2022: Mr. Dean Miskovich, "Things you may not Know about the Gas Giants."
July 9, 2022: Dr. Arthur Kosowsky, "Searching for Planet Nine."
June 25, 2022: Mr. Larry McHenry, "Stargazing and Myths: An Introduction to the Constellations and Seasonal Night-Sky Mythology."
May 7, 2022: Mr. Gary Purinton, "Lunar and Solar Eclipses."
April 16, 2022: Dr. Kelly Lepo, "What to Expect from the James Webb Space Telescope's First Images."
March 19, 2022: Mr. Lou Coban, "High-altitude Ballooning for Solar Eclipses."
November 20, 2021: Mr. Gary Salisbury, "Astrophotography Image Processing."
October 16, 2021: Mr. Larry McHenry, “Comet Tales.”
September 18, 2021: Dr. Tim Spuck, “The Oil Region Astronomical Society: Building an Exciting Future for Generations to Come.”
August 21, 2021: Ms. Emily Lehnardt, “Astronomy for Kids under Age 12.”
July 17, 2021: Mr. Ed Ting, “Astrophotography: Taking the Next Step.”
June 19, 202: Mr. Ed Ting, “An Introduction to Astrophotography.”
May 15, 2021: Mr. Derek Demeter, “Solving the Mysteries of the Universe, One Puzzle Piece at a Time.”
April 17, 2021: Mr. Dean Salisbury, “Looking Up: Astrophotography and Nightscapes using your Digital Camera.”
March 20, 2021: Mr. Jim O’Leary, “Art and the Cosmos.”
February 20, 2021: Ms. Luci Finucan, “Green Bank Observatory Virtual Tour.”
September 26, 2020: Mr. Tom Field, “Astronomical Spectra."
February 17, 2024 Mr. Gary Purinton, "The 2024 Eclipse Megamovie: Capturing Totality"
January 27, 2024: Dr. Richard Lloyd, "Black Holes from Birth to Death"
November 25, 2023: Mr. Dean Miskovich, "Comets -- A Brief Study"
October 28, 2023: Dr. Susan Prezzano, "Ancient Astronomy in Europe and Western Asia"
September 23, 2023: Mr. Dean Salisbury, "Photography: Birds to Stars"
July 22, 2023: Mr. Larry McHenry, "Planetary Nebulae: From Messier to Abell—What They Are and How to Observe Them"
June 22, 2023: Ms. Suzana Filipecki Martins, "How to Name an Exoplanet, and Other Activities of the IAU's Office for Astronomy Outreach"
May 27, 2023: “Your Night: ORAS Panel Answers your Astronomy Questions"
April 15, 2023: Mr. Tim Spuck, “Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries."
March 25, 2023: Mr. Bruce Howard, "Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence."
February 25, 2023: Mr. Dean Miskovich, "Stars."
January 21, 2023: Mr. Larry McHenry, "Solar Observing -- An Introduction to Solar Features and Observing Techniques."
October 15, 2022: Dr. Susan Prezzano, "Recent Discoveries in Archaeoastronomy."
September 17, 2022: Mr. Dean Miskovich, "Things you may not Know about the Gas Giants."
July 9, 2022: Dr. Arthur Kosowsky, "Searching for Planet Nine."
June 25, 2022: Mr. Larry McHenry, "Stargazing and Myths: An Introduction to the Constellations and Seasonal Night-Sky Mythology."
May 7, 2022: Mr. Gary Purinton, "Lunar and Solar Eclipses."
April 16, 2022: Dr. Kelly Lepo, "What to Expect from the James Webb Space Telescope's First Images."
March 19, 2022: Mr. Lou Coban, "High-altitude Ballooning for Solar Eclipses."
November 20, 2021: Mr. Gary Salisbury, "Astrophotography Image Processing."
October 16, 2021: Mr. Larry McHenry, “Comet Tales.”
September 18, 2021: Dr. Tim Spuck, “The Oil Region Astronomical Society: Building an Exciting Future for Generations to Come.”
August 21, 2021: Ms. Emily Lehnardt, “Astronomy for Kids under Age 12.”
July 17, 2021: Mr. Ed Ting, “Astrophotography: Taking the Next Step.”
June 19, 202: Mr. Ed Ting, “An Introduction to Astrophotography.”
May 15, 2021: Mr. Derek Demeter, “Solving the Mysteries of the Universe, One Puzzle Piece at a Time.”
April 17, 2021: Mr. Dean Salisbury, “Looking Up: Astrophotography and Nightscapes using your Digital Camera.”
March 20, 2021: Mr. Jim O’Leary, “Art and the Cosmos.”
February 20, 2021: Ms. Luci Finucan, “Green Bank Observatory Virtual Tour.”
September 26, 2020: Mr. Tom Field, “Astronomical Spectra."