From April through October, the TCAA holds monthly observing sessions that are open to the public. These "star parties" are held at our observatory at the Sugar Grove Nature Center, a dark sky site southwest of Bloomington.
Additional prominent sky objects such as planets, nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies will be viewed when visible.
If you would like to arrange a special event for your group, please click here.
| Event | Date | Timings | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyrid Meteor Shower | Sat, Apr 18, 2026 | 08:15 PM CDT to 10:15 PM CDT | FGNS | Scheduled |
| Starlight | Sat, May 23, 2026 | 09:00 PM CDT to 11:00 PM CDT | FGNS | Scheduled |
| Dark Matter | Sat, Jun 13, 2026 | 09:00 PM CDT to 11:00 PM CDT | FGNS | Scheduled |
| Messier Objects | Sat, Jul 25, 2026 | 09:00 PM to 11:00 PM | FGNS | Scheduled |
| Lunar Eclipses | Sat, Aug 22, 2026 | 08:30 PM to 10:30 PM | FGNS | Scheduled |
| White Dwarfs and Planetary Nebulae | Sat, Sep 19, 2026 | 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM | FGNS | Scheduled |
| Saturn and Neptune | Sat, Oct 17, 2026 | 07:00 PM CDT to 09:00 PM CDT | FGNS | Scheduled |