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Welcome to CHAOS

Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society

We cater to all levels of astronomy fans, so if you’re only a beginner, that’s all right–read on.

Upcoming Events

EventDate Details
Hillsborough Winter Solstice Lantern WalkSaturday,
December 20, 5:00-8:00pm
This is the Winter Solstice event in Downtown Hillsborough. We observe behind the new Court House. More information is HERE.
Monthly Skywatching at Staunton River State ParkSaturday,
December 20th,
7:00-9:00 pm
Skywatching at this International Dark Sky Park in Virginia with CHAOS. For more information and future monthly dates, please check here.
January Club MeetingTuesday,
January 13th 7 pm
Join us in person (OR on Zoom) at Carol Woods, 750 Weaver Dairy Rd., Chapel Hill. We are meeting in Classroom #1.
To join us via Zoom, link will be HERE.
Meeting with RAC at Morehead PlanetariumFriday, January 30Registration required. More information will be provided soon.
Public Skywatching at Little River Regional ParkSaturday,
February 21,
6:30-8:30
Stay tuned for more information. Little River Regional Park is north of Durham.
Spring Star Party at Staunton River State ParkMarch 16 – 22, 2026Look HERE for more information.
Registration Opens early January 2026.
Public Skywatching at Little River Regional ParkFriday,
March 20,
8-10 pm
Stay tuned for more information. Little River Regional Park is north of Durham.

Schedule a Skywatch

Are you a teacher? Scout Leader? We offer skywatch sessions, free of charge, for any educational purpose.We’ll bring one or more telescopes, depending on the size of the crowd. All…

Telescope Buying Guide

Do you want to buy a telescope, but don’t know where to start? You might consider using a pair of binoculars first, to become acquainted with the night sky. You…

What’s in the Sky Tonight

Facing South, look to your right (West), and you will see the bright star Arcturus. The really bright star almost straight overhead is Vega. Left of Vega, you’ll see another bright star–Deneb. And…

Latest Events and News

President’s Message

Greetings CHAOS and Guests, It is time for the October Staunton River Star Party. The year has gone by way too fast. It seems that we just had our very…

Star Party Status

What an amazing week we had at the Spring 2025 Star Party. We had a little rain on Monday, but the rest of the week was awesome. We observed every…

Star Party Experience

Read about one person’s stellar experience at Staunton River Park, and how she ended up connecting with CHAOS and the star party.

Welcome to the New Website

We hope you’ll look around. Is there something we’re missing that you’d like to see? Please post your feedback, questions, etc. to our new email server, chaosastro.groups.io. If you were…