wide, small, dense nebulas like this are sometimes called “globules,” and are often known to form stars. This image was taken with our telescope in Sturgeon Bay and processed by a DPAS member.
Sturgeon Bay, Wis (October 6, 2025) – The Door Peninsula Astronomical Society (DPAS) will join educational institutions and science centers throughout the state to participate in the Wisconsin Science Festival during its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 14 at 7:00 pm. In addition to the Monthly Viewing Night, the Society has added an extra Planetarium Show to celebrate Halloween at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, October 29.
In keeping with the 2025 Wisconsin Science Festival theme, “Rock and Roll,” DPAS will extend the topic of geology beyond Earth to include outer space. DPAS Board member Steven Ransom- Jones will present a program titled “A Game of Stones – The Rocky Road to the Earth.” In this presentation, he will take the audience on a journey over rocks—both near and far—to explore where they come from and the roles they play in the formation of our solar system.
To explore this theme, Steve will pose a series of lighthearted yet thought-provoking questions such as:
• What on Earth are rocks, and how does geology make them?
• What rocks fall from space
• How did space rocks get up there?
• Where did space rocks come from in our dusty universe?
• Was Cassini the ultimate dust (and rock) collection device?
• How does cosmic dust help form planets like Earth?
DPAS encourages visitors to attend both its meetings and its Viewing Nights which are free of charge.
This month, the Viewing Nights begin at 7:00 PM on October 18 with Planetarium Shows lasting about half an hour. The shows are repeated for as long as visitors wish to view them. When stars begin to appear (which happens earlier this time of year), the society opens the Leif Everson Observatory. Using both the observatory telescope and smaller personal telescopes, as well as stabilized binoculars and green lasers, DPAS members will give “tours of the sky.”
Open Dome Nights are spontaneous viewing sessions. Because clouds often interfere with scheduled Viewing Nights, DPAS members sometimes gather at the Leif Everson Observatory when skies unexpectedly clear—and they invite the public to join them. Open Domes are announced around dusk on the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society Facebook page, so on bright, starry nights, check the DPAS Facebook page to see if the dome will be open.
Finally, to celebrate October, a special Halloween Planetarium Show is scheduled for Wednesday, October 29 at 7:00 PM. This program will feature some of the spooky images of deep sky objects captured and processed by DPAS members using the Society’s own telescope.
We hope to see many visitors at the Astronomy Campus, 2200 Utah Street in Sturgeon Bay (turn left at the Cove Road intersection), for our October events.
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