Astronomical presentations are held at each of ASGH’s business meetings, our in-person meetings are open to the public and anyone interested is encouraged to participate. Speakers have included current or former members, astronomy faculty and graduate students from area universities, or invited guests. Topics for these presentations, shown below, are wide-ranging and are chosen to be of interest to amateur astronomers of all levels.

ASGH business meetings take place on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from September through May. Meetings start at 7:30 pm.

We are continuing to hold hybrid meetings with online participation for members via Zoom and in-person participation at:

Rocky Hill Community Center
Room 1C
761 Old Main Street
Rocky Hill CT 06067
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Click here for directions

September 17, 2025
Speaker: Greg Shanos, PharmD – A Century of Relativity: Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Demystified’

The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the General Theory of Relativity. This presentation was updated to include the images of the black holes in M87 and Sagittarius A as well as the LIGO detection of gravity waves. Greg will explain the Special Theory as well as the General Theory of Relativity. Applications of the General Theory to Black Holes, Worm Holes, Einstein crosses, Gravity Waves and Cosmology will also be discussed.  To quote Einstein: “Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler”.  That is Greg’s goal for this presentation.  

October 15, 2025
The October meeting will include two speakers:

The first will be ASGH member Lucas Branco. Lucas will speak about a service project he is doing which consists of refurbishing a number of ‘orphan’ telescopes to get them into an acceptable condition to donate to area schools. He will tell us how many telescopes he has (or how many parts of telescopes he has), what components are needed to complete the largest number of telescopes, and how much member help he hopes to get to make his project even more of a success and get more telescopes to area schools to spread knowledge, interest and excitement about astronomy to children who may not otherwise have this opportunity.

The second speaker will be our ASGH Club President, Chris Markiewicz, who will give a short talk on the Vera Rubin Observatory. “Located on a mountaintop in Chile, the nearly-complete Vera C. Rubin Observatory will capture the cosmos in exquisite detail. Using the largest camera ever built, Rubin will repeatedly scan the sky for 10 years and create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our Universe.” (from https://rubinobservatory.org/)

November 19, 2025
Speaker: To be announced

December 17, 2025
Speaker: To be announced

January 21, 2026
Speaker: To be announced

February 18, 2026
Speaker: To be announced

March 18, 2026
Speaker: Marcia Bartusiak, Professor of the Practice Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“The Day We Found the Universe”
On January 1, 1925, Edwin Hubble announced findings that ultimately established that our universe was filled with myriad galaxies just like our own. It was a realization that reshaped how humans understood their place in the cosmos. Six years later, continuing research by Hubble and others forced Albert Einstein to renounce his own cosmic model and finally accept the astonishing fact that the universe was not at rest but instead expanding.

The story of these discoveries includes battles of will, clever insights, and wrong turns made by the early investigators in this great twentieth-century pursuit. Marcia Bartusiak will recount these watershed moments in our cosmic history, describing how Hubble’s triumph was not his alone but was achieved by his standing on the shoulders of many before him.

Marcia Bartusiak is Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the award-winning author of seven books on astrophysics and the history of astronomy, including The Day We Found the Universe, Black Hole, and Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony. She was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, cited for “exceptionally clear communication of the rich history, the intricate nature, and the modern practice of astronomy to the public at large.”

April 15, 2026
Speaker: To be announced

May 20, 2026
Speaker: CT Science Fair Award Winners