Events hosted by KO
Knoxville is quite light polluted meaning that buildings, homes, dealerships, etc all produce a lot of light and thus drown out the stars. Even in the suburbs you might not be able see details in the stars. In order to see details many folks go to dark sites and setup events called Star Parties so that anyone can enjoy and look through telescopes or setup telescopes with others. We hope you will join us in upcoming Star Parties.
Oh and if you plan on going to a local dark site and would like to inform others, please reach out to the admins and we can add it to the calendar.
Local Community Events
UTK Science Space Outreach
The first and third of each month is open to the public at the physics building for observation. Be sure to check out the website below for details. Paul Lewis is the main contact that holds these events. He has several high powered
telescopes for the public to view astronomical points of interest.
Local Community Events
Tamke Allen Observatory & ORION
Check out the Roane State Community College Observatory and the Oak Ridge ORION group for their offerings.
FAQ
1/ What is the purpose of this website?
The purpose of the website is to have a central place for all things amateur astronomy in the local Knoxville and surrounding area. There is the Orion group, Smokey Mountain Astronomical Society, UTK Physics, etc and we like them all.
Tenets:
* Reduce complications and stay simple.
* Keep everything light and unencumbered.
* Have fun, educate, and learn about astronomy.
2/ Do you have Star Parties and gatherings?
Yes we do have Star Parties fairly regularly so please check out our events calendar. Having a club requires insurance and thus club dues, and in order to keep things simple and unencumbered we decided to not be a club. Instead we let people know when we plan to be at a dark site location so that you can make your own decisions to come or not.
3/ I don’t have a telescope but do want to come to a Star Party, am I able to come?
Yes please come out. Often times you might be able to look through someone else’s telescope or even look at the pictures coming out of peoples laptops.
4/ I only really want to see pretty pictures, where are they?
Look at the contact section and find us on Facebook. There you can see all the pictures the various people have taken over the years.
5/ Are you affiliated with the American Astronomical Society?
No, we have day jobs. We are not a club and we do not collect dues. Our desire is to bring together people from all ages to all walks of life together to enjoy the hobby.
6/ How do I get in contact with you?
Please reach us at the email below or you can join us on the Knoxville Observer Facebook group, Discord, and Groups.IO. Hope to see everyone at a Star Party, regards George Srdanov and Ricky Smith.
Contact Us!
Please join us on the Facebook group or join us on our forum site at Groups.IO
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