Newsletter Archive
The Society publishes a monthly newsletter, Observations, available to all of its members. It includes reviews of past meetings, notes on upcoming meetings, Society business, observing hints for current objects, and other items of interest to Society members. To obtain a copy of the current newsletter, join CCAS today!

We are proud that our former newsletter editor, Jim Anderson, won the 2006 Mabel Sterns Award for excellence in newsletter editing from the Astronomical League.

We are proud that our webmaster & newsletter editor, John Hepler, won the 2009 Mabel Sterns Award for excellence in newsletter editing from the Astronomical League.

We are proud that our webmaster & newsletter editor, John Hepler, won the 2016 Mabel Sterns Award for excellence in newsletter editing from the Astronomical League.

Click below to access each year's newsletters   2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 Year 2021   Observations December 2021 Highlights include: "December 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Through the Eyepiece: The Coal Car Cluster, NGC 1981," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: The James Webb Space Telescope: Ready for Launch!" by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations November 2021 Highlights include: "November 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "2021 Webmaster Award to CCAS Observing Chair Don Knabb," by Dave Hockenberry, CCAS President; "Through the Eyepiece: The Open Clusters in Auriga: M36, M37 and M38," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Measure the Night Sky, by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations October 2021 Highlights include: "October 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Through the Eyepiece: Elnath, the Star with a Dual Identity," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Weird Ways to Observe the Moon," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations September 2021 Highlights include: "Space Stations – from Earliest to Latest," by John Conrad, CCAS member & NASA Solar System Ambassador; "September 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Through the Eyepiece: Messier 11, The Wild Ducks in the Sky," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Catch Andromeda Rising," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations August 2021 Highlights include: "Space Stations – from Earliest to Latest," by John Conrad, CCAS member and NASA Solar System Ambassador; "September 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Through the Eyepiece: Messier 11, The Wild Ducks in the Sky," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Catch Andromeda Rising," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations July 2021 Highlights include: "Quasars," by CCAS Member Avni Dhargalkar; "Book review: The Smallest Lights in the Universe, by Sara Seager," by Don Knabb, CCAS Observation Chair & Treasurer; "July 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb; "Through the Eyepiece: Messier 6 and Messier 7, The Butterfly Cluster and Ptolemy’s Cluster," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Observe the Milky Way and Great Rift," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations June 2021 Highlights include: "Dark Energy Survey Releases Most Precise Look at the Universe’s Evolution," by Tracy Marc, Fermilab; "June 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Through the Eyepiece: Globular Cluster M5 in Serpens," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Astrophotography with Your Smartphone," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations May 2021 Highlights include: "Bubbles With Titanium Trigger Titanic Explosions," by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center / Chandra X-Ray Center; "May 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Through the Eyepiece: Melotte 111, the Coma Berenices Cluster of Stars," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Virgo’s Galactic Harvest," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations April 2021 Highlights include: "April 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Book Review: Lost Moon, by Jim Lovell & Jeffrey Kluger," by Chris Trunk, CCAS Member; "Through the Eyepiece: Globular Cluster M3," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Watch the Lion—Celestial Wonders in Leo," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations March 2021 Highlights include: "Book Review: Extraterrestrial, by Avi Loeb," by Chris Trunk, CCAS Member; "March 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Bruce Blackburn, Designer of Ubiquitous NASA Logo, Dies at 82," by Alex Vadukul, NY Times; "Through the Eyepiece: The Lunar X and Lunar V," by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Taking the Dog Stars for a Springtime Walk: Sirius and Procyon," by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations February 2021 Highlights include: "Dr. Sarah Dodson, Guest Speaker at Our February 2021 Monthly Meeting," by Bruce Ruggeri, CCAS Program Chair; "February 2021 Observing Highlights," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; "Venus Was Once More Earth-like, But Climate Change Made It Uninhabitable," by Richard Ernst, Ph.D., The Conversation; "Through the Eyepiece: M52, the Salt-and-Pepper Cluster, an Open Cluster in Cassiopeia, by Don Knabb; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Landing On Mars—A Tricky Feat!" by David Prosper. Back to Top   Observations January 2021 Highlights include: "40 Years after Voyager, Scientists Push for New Missions to Uranus and Neptune," by Joel Davis, Astronomy Magazine; "Through the Eyepiece: Casper the Friendly Ghost Nebula, M78, a reflection nebula in Orion," by Don Knabb, CCAS Treasurer & Observing Chair; and "NASA Night Sky Notes: Check Your Sky’s Quality with Orion!" by David Prosper. Back to Top