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Every once in a while, the Astronomical League issues observing challenges for members and the public. The challenges are usually short term, less than a month, and fun to do.
To successfully complete the challenge, you need to:
Image or sketch the required object(s).
Submit that image or sketch as indicated by that challenge. These should show as much detail as possible.
Do an outreach activity related to the Observing Challenge. Include the date, time, and details of this activity in the same email to the coordinator.
The deadline for submitting to meet this challenge is one month after the event, or as indicated by the specific Observing Challenge. Late submissions will not be accepted
I've decided to put all my successfully completed challenges here instead of having a separate page for each. The most recent ones completed are at the top.
13. International Observe the Moon Night Observing Challenge – 2025.
(deadline for submission is November 11, 2025)
13. International Observe the Moon Night Observing Challenge – 2025.
(deadline for submission is November 11, 2025)
The Astronomical League is once again partnering witih NASA for the 2025 International Observe the Moon Night. We are bringing you another Observing Challenge. And like most of our Observing Challenges, you do not need to be a member of the Astronoical League to participate. It is open to everyone.
The NASA web page for the International Observe the Moon Night is: The NASA Observe the Moon Night Website
The downloadable certificate for participants can be found here.
Requirements:
Do an observation of the Moon with either Binoculars or a Telescope. It may be done Eyes Only, but the details will be very small and somewhat difficult to see.
The observation must be done between October 2, 2025 and October 11, 2025 to be able to see the four required Maria.
The observation may be done visually or through imaging. Include information on the equipment used.
Observe these Maria (dark areas):
Mare Serenitatis
Mare Tranquilliatatis
Mare Imbrium
Mare Cognitum
Label these four Maria and also the 6 Apollo Mission landing sites.
Do an outreach activity to share information about the Apollo Missions or the Moon. This may also be the Observe the Moon event itself.
Submit the required information and the sketch or image to the Coordinator.
Deadline for submission is November 11, 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.
Outreach for Observe the Moon - 2025
Two posts to StLAstro.groups.io about the challenge: requirements, targets, dates 250+ people in the group.
PowerPoint presentation to the Zoom meeting of ASEM's DigitalSIG group about the challenge and how to complete it. 10 people watched the meeting
The text of the PowerPoint was included in the October ASEM newsletter.
place holder image
14. Huygen’s TOES Observing Challenge – 2025.
(deadline for submission is October 20, 2025) Completed
14. Huygen’s TOES Observing Challenge – 2025.
(deadline for submission is October 20, 2025) Completed
Named in honor of Huygens and the Huygens Probe that landed on Tital, and following the tradition of the Galileo’s TOES certificates, The Astronomical League has created this Observing Challenge. It is open to everyone.
It is a rare event, but just like Jupiter’s Galilean Moons, Titan’s Shadow transits the face of Saturn. Although some have already occurred, there are four left to see this time around. (The next opportunity is in 2040!)
These are the upcoming shadow transits for the Houston area. Your times will vary slightly, and more for different time zones.
Aug 3: 01:25 – 06:04 CDT.
Aug 19: 00:52 – 05:00 CDT.
Sept 4: 00:25 – 03:50 CDT.
Sept 20: 00:09 – 02:34 CDT.
The one on October 4 does not count since it is mid-transit
Requirements for this Observing Challenge:
Do an Outreach Activity related to the Titan Shadow Transit.
Observe a Titan Shadow Transit using a telescope. Observations may be done any time in 2025, up to the last one on September 20, 2025
Sketch or image Titan’s Shadow during the Transit.
Identify Titan’s Shadow in the sketch or image.
Include information on your telescope and camera (if used).
Forward the sketch or image, plus the information on the outreach activity to the AL Observing Challenge Coordinator. Submission deadline is October 20, 2025.
Information Required:
Your name, eMail address, Postal Address, and Phone Number
Your Astronomy Club affiliation (or Member at Large) if you are part of the Astronomical League
Sketch or Image
Equipment used (Telescope, Camera)
Date and Time of your observation
Latitudes and Longitudes of the Observation
Information about the Outreach Activity
Things didn't exactly go to plan😒
The plan was to image a shadow transit with ASEM's equipment. The first try was on August 3rd. Four of us had difficulty finding, centering, and focusing Saturn on ASEM's C14 with the very small FOV. After a futile hour, I grabbed my Celestron 24-8 zoom eyepiece and found Saturn in the much larger field at 24mm (160x) and then zoomed in to 10mm (390x). The shadow was easy to see and we sketched the view. I submitted the sketch on the left to complete the challenge.
After August 4th, we spend some time with my flip mirror and the C14. Due to people using the scope for outreach on Friday nights, we were unable to leave the flip mirror and camera up. The next three events had poor weather forecasts and I opted to stay home. The September 4th event did clear a bit after 3 a.m.
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