Great Valley Astronomy Club

Great Valley Astronomy Club A student-based organization who partners with local citizens and other groups to promote the love a (Kenneth L. I didn't feel like a giant. (Neil Armstrong)

The Modesto Junior College (MJC) Astronomy Club is a student-based club of amateur astronomers, star lovers, and universe explorers. The club meets at a physical location once per week (see "General Information" for times and locations) and hosts assorted astronomy-related activities. If you are interested in more information about our club, including information about our free monthly night sky v

iewings, please look under our "Events" section. Any further questions can be forwarded to MJC faculty advisor, Noah Hughes at [email protected]



"The universe extends beyond the mind of man, and is more complex than the small sample one can study." Pike)



"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I felt very, very small."

04/06/2026

GVAC students and volunteers setting up the 18 incher for the first time. How long did it take us? Watch the shadows carefully : )

Good afternoon, fellow astronomy enthusiasts. As we watch in awe and celebrate Artemis II's launch today, we would also ...
04/01/2026

Good afternoon, fellow astronomy enthusiasts. As we watch in awe and celebrate Artemis II's launch today, we would also like to remind you all that this Friday will be our last Science Night of the semester. Please join us this Friday, from 7 to 10 PM, at the Great Valley Museum, where we will observe Jupiter, Venus, the Andromeda Nebula, and more! The Great Valley Astronomy Club would also like to thank everyone who made our "Infinite Horizons" fundraiser on March 13th possible, and we hope to host another event in the near future. See you all on Friday! 🪐🚀🔭

If you appreciate free, public telescope viewings, consider supporting our super rad fundraiser on Friday March 13th.
03/06/2026

If you appreciate free, public telescope viewings, consider supporting our super rad fundraiser on Friday March 13th.

Good evening, to all amateur astronomers in the Central Valley! This Friday, March 6th, from 7 to 10 PM, we will be host...
03/04/2026

Good evening, to all amateur astronomers in the Central Valley! This Friday, March 6th, from 7 to 10 PM, we will be hosting our monthly Telescope Night event in conjunction with Science Night at the Museum. Telescope Night is a free, public event held at MJC West Campus in the Great Valley Museum building, and it promises to be even brighter and more fun than it already is. The Great Valley Museum will also be hosting a "Glow in the Dark" fantastic scavenger hunt, so please bring your kids, or yourself, and stop by if you have the chance. We hope to see you there! 🌌🔭

Greetings from the GVAC! This Friday, the Foothill Physics Show will take place at the Mary Stuart Rogers Student Learni...
02/25/2026

Greetings from the GVAC! This Friday, the Foothill Physics Show will take place at the Mary Stuart Rogers Student Learning Center on the MJC West Campus. It will start at 7:30 PM and is free and open to the public of all ages, including children interested in seeing the magic of physics in an approachable and entertaining environment, presented by Frank Cascarano and David Marasco! We hope to see you all there!

Thank you to everyone who came to our Telescope Night last Friday and showed support for our club! Here are some photos ...
02/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to our Telescope Night last Friday and showed support for our club! Here are some photos taken with our new Color Astronomy Camera showing Jupiter’s Giant Red Spot. We hope to see you all at our next Telescope Night on March 6th at the Great Valley Museum from 7 to 10 PM!
And, we are happy to announce that on March 13th, we will be hosting a fundraiser! Join us for “Infinite Horizons: Night with the Stars” as we have a planetarium and laser light show, along with telescope observations of the night sky, weather permitting. Each ticket is $15, and the event will be from 7:00 to 9:30 PM at the Great Valley Museum. We appreciate all of the support from you all, and hope to see you all at next month's events 🪐🌖🔭

Here is the link to buy tickets through the GVM
website 💫

https://gvmatmjc.square.site/product/-infinite-horizons-night-with-the-stars/RB5LXL4P5GQHND3RFWVU7X3Z?cs=true&cst=custom

Good evening, astronomy enthusiasts! This Friday, from 7 PM to 10 PM, we will be on the fourth floor of the SCC building...
02/04/2026

Good evening, astronomy enthusiasts! This Friday, from 7 PM to 10 PM, we will be on the fourth floor of the SCC building on West Campus for Telescope Night! 🪐💫🔭
We can expect to see Saturn, Jupiter, the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades star cluster, Andromeda, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. We also expect the weather ot be in the mid to low 50's, so please dress warmly for the occasion. 🧤
Lastly, there has been a bit of miscommunication on our part (which we deeply apologize for). The Planetarium shows are not free, and will cost between $5 to $8 for entry. The telescope viewing is a free and public event run by our club during Telescope Nights. Thank you all for your support. We hope to see you all on Friday!

Good afternoon, astronomy enthusiasts! We invite you to join us this Friday, the 5th, for our last Telescope Night of th...
12/03/2025

Good afternoon, astronomy enthusiasts! We invite you to join us this Friday, the 5th, for our last Telescope Night of the semester, as part of the GVM Science Night at the Museum from 7 to 10 PM. Weather permitting, we will observe the Moon, Saturn, Vega, and other celestial bodies. Please dress warmly for the event. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who joined the GVAC for Telescope Night this past Friday! Here are some pics to highlight the nigh...
11/13/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined the GVAC for Telescope Night this past Friday! Here are some pics to highlight the night, while we wait to see you all again for our next Telescope Night on December 5! 🪐🔭

Next free public telescope viewing is this Friday, Nov 7 from 7-10 PM as part of the Great Valley Museum at Modesto Juni...
11/04/2025

Next free public telescope viewing is this Friday, Nov 7 from 7-10 PM as part of the Great Valley Museum at Modesto Junior College's monthly Science Night event. MJC West Campus, Science Community Center. Weather permitting. Hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who attended Science Night at the Museum this past Friday, and for making it a fantastically spook...
10/07/2025

Thank you to everyone who attended Science Night at the Museum this past Friday, and for making it a fantastically spooky night! 🎃🔭
We hope to see you all at the next Science Night on November 7!

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MJC West Campus, 2201 Blue Gum Avenue
Modesto, CA
95358

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