Welcome to Quad Cities Astronomical Society!

Stimulating an interest in the science of astronomy within the Quad Cities, nurturing an ongoing desire by our members to study the cosmos, and to providing members of our community opportunities to experience the
Joy and Beauty of Astronomy.


Upcoming Events



The Meridian News

  • Eastern Iowa Star Party, Sept. 15-17, 2023
    July 24, 2023

    The Quad Cities Astronomical Society is hosting its annual Eastern Iowa Star Party September 15-17 at the Menke Observatory, located at the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center near Dixon, Iowa. Registration form is available here to reserve a space. No fee necessary, but registration is first come, first serve. Please let us know whether or […]...

  • Skyward, July 2023 – David H. Levy
    Skyward, July 2023 – David H. Levy
    June 18, 2023

    Skyward, July 2023 A little religion, but not too much. David H. Levy As an undergraduate student at Acadia University, in the Canadian maritime province of Nova Scotia, my geology professor was trying to teach us about the water cycle. Despite reams of published evidence, the best document he could come up with was this […]...

  • Skyward June 2023   Wendee among the stars  David H. Levy
    Skyward June 2023 Wendee among the stars David H. Levy
    May 18, 2023

    Skyward June 2023 Wendee among the stars David H. Levy Never in my life did I appreciate the peace and beauty of the night sky as I do now. It offers solace; it brings peace. And now more than eight months since my wife Wendee’s death, it is an easy reminder of why I love […]...

  • Skyward – A magic beagle and the stars April 2023  David H. Levy
    Skyward – A magic beagle and the stars April 2023 David H. Levy
    March 19, 2023

    Skyward – A magic beagle and the stars April 2023 David H. Levy It is my honor to introduce you, dear readers, this month to my latest book, “Clipper, Cosmos, and Children: Finding the Eureka moment.” It is a book specially designed to inspire young people to enjoy the night sky. Whether you are physically […]...

  • Skyward March 2023 David H. Levy
    Skyward March 2023 David H. Levy
    February 17, 2023

    Of comets, more comets, and Fritz Zwicky Since October 1965, when I spotted my first comet, Comet Ikeya-Seki, I have seen 227 different comets. Near the dawn of my passion for the night sky, watching that mighty comet rise, apparently right out the St. Lawrence River, was a sight I shall never forget. The two […]...

  • Skyward February 2023 David H. Levy  – Back to the Moon
    Skyward February 2023 David H. Levy – Back to the Moon
    January 16, 2023

    Skyward February 2023 David H. Levy Back to the Moon I shouldn’t have been surprised by the complete success of the Artemis mission last fall.  NASA’s A team of engineers really know what they are doing.   The mission was fun to watch, particularly the brilliant light when the msain engines lit up,  and it provided […]...

  • Skyward  January 2023  David H. Levy
    Skyward January 2023 David H. Levy
    December 16, 2022

    “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions.” (Hamlet 4.5.76-77) This column begins with a delightful quotation from Hamlet, where King Claudius reflects on the deaths of Hamlet’s father, Polonius, and the madness of Ophelia. In this lonely period of my own life, the one constant I have is being able to […]...

  • Skyward – December 2022  By David H. Levy
    Skyward – December 2022 By David H. Levy
    November 20, 2022

    As I get older and older, the list of people who depart gets longer and increases with a greater frequency. But now I find myself writing, for the third month in a row, about the loss of someone who meant a lot to me and without whom I do not know how I will continue […]...

  • Skyward November 2022 Goodbye, Wendee.
    Skyward November 2022 Goodbye, Wendee.
    October 15, 2022

    Skyward November 2022 Goodbye, Wendee. Dear readers, What follows is the most difficult article I have ever written.  On Friday, September 23,  2022, my wife Wendee died.  She had been suffering from metastatic breast cancer for over a decade, but this past summer she was truly and clearly suffering.  We had an oncologist who was […]...

  • Skyward  September 2022 – David Levy
    Skyward September 2022 – David Levy
    August 15, 2022

    On first looking through Baade’s window Much have I travell’d in the realms of gold, And many goodly stars and clusters seen; Round celestial islands have I been With telescope after telescope to the night sky hold. Oft of one wide expanse had I been told That Galileo ruled as his demesne; Yet did I […]...

We are always looking for more observing buddies!