Entry No. 73 — the Wichita file — filed under: after-dark

Kansas Astronomical Observers Public Viewing Nights

This Wichita-based astronomy club, part of NASA's Night Sky Network, meets the third Saturday of every month at Lake Afton and all meetings are open to the public. In summer they gather at 7:30pm and set up personal telescopes on the observing pad; winter meetings start at 3pm. It is the local crowd that actually knows the sky, happy to point a couple toward whatever planet or nebula is up that night.

The move: Show up to a third-Saturday summer meeting, sit in on the constellation talk, then let club members walk you both from telescope to telescope across the pad.

📍 Before you go Meetings are the 3rd Saturday monthly; 7:30pm in summer (May-Sep), 3pm in winter. Clear-sky telescope viewing depends on weather - confirm via the KAO calendar.

• 📍 Goddard
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Lake Afton Public Observatory, 25000 West 39th St S, Goddard, KS 67052

Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3

last checked: 2026-06-23