Club Activities

PAS activities include star gazing at our observatories, presentations at the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, Saturday public viewing sessions at our Northmoor Observatory at sunset from mid-May through mid-October, Northmoor Observatory tours for interested groups, and outreach activities such as the Peoria Public Library’s annual “Observe the Moon Night” at Northmoor Observatory.

All activities are free, and most activities are open to the public. If your group is interested in visiting our historic Northmoor Observatory, or wants to invite PAS to participate in your group’s event, please contact the Northmoor Observatory chairperson to make arrangements.

Attending PAS activities is a great way to learn more about astronomy, and to meet and chat with PAS members. Details on specific PAS events can be found on our Calendar and the PAS Facebook page.

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Northmoor Observatory Schedule, mid-May through mid-October (weather permitting)

From mid-May to mid-October, PAS hosts Saturday public viewing events both in the dome and outdoors at our historic Northmoor Observatory (map), which is located in Donovan Park about 200 yards due south of the southwest corner of the parking lot.

Public viewings are weather dependent, so be sure to check the local forecast! On Saturday evenings with good viewing conditions, the observatory is open from sunset until approximately 11:00 p.m. The observatory will not open on rainy evenings.

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Annual Schedule of Activities

PAS members are able to access the Northmoor Observatory or the Decker-Grebner-Van Zandt Observatory (aka the Jubilee observatory) throughout the year.

There are no regularly scheduled activities from December through February.

The PAS March meeting is on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. on a topic of interest to both amateur astronomers and the general public. This meeting is open to members of the public. See the PAS Calendar and Facebook page for details. We meet at the Dome Planetarium in the Riverfront Museum in downtown Peoria, IL. (Parking details below.)

There are no regularly scheduled activities in April.

The PAS May meeting is on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at Northmoor Observatory. It is open to both members and the general public. This meeting, which is primarily an opportunity for socializing, also serves as a great introduction to our historic telescope and observatory. Refreshments are provided.

There are no meetings during the summer months (June, July, and August). Instead, at sunset on Saturday evenings from mid-May through mid-October, PAS hosts public viewing nights at Northmoor Observatory.

The PAS September meeting is our Annual Meeting and Cookout, which is at the PAS Jubilee observatory. At this meeting, we thank our volunteers and select Board officers for the coming year. This meeting is only open to PAS members.

The PAS October meeting is on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. on a topic of interest to both amateur astronomers and the general public. This meeting is open to members of the public. See the PAS Calendar and Facebook page for details. We meet at the Dome Planetarium in the Riverfront Museum in downtown Peoria, IL. (Parking details below.)

The PAS November meeting is our Fall Banquet & Speaker Presentation, which is held on a Saturday in early November at a local venue in Peoria. Details are provided to PAS members via email.

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Parking at Peoria Riverfront Museum:

Parking is available in the parking deck beneath the museum; the parking entrance is on Water Street. Enter the museum through the double doors at the far left side of the parking deck. At the end of the hallway, there are stairs and an elevator. Come up to the second floor and walk down the hallway to the planetarium.

Street parking should be free after 6:00 p.m. If you park on the Washington Street side of the museum, enter through the front entrance, then walk down the hallway to the left; the planetarium is at the end of that hallway. If you park on the Water Street side (along the street or in the city parking lot next to the restaurants), enter through the parking deck beneath the museum.

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