BoBfest

January 25th, 2025

For more information and to pre-register today visit http://bobfest.catawbasky.org. While BoBfest is FREE participants are encouraged to pre-register online. Participants also receive 50% off CSC admission!

Calling all amateur astronomers! BoBfest is a FREE in-person event open to any and all who have an interest in astronomy.

This is the 33rd Annual BoBfest! BoBfest is a place for regional astronomers to gather and share in their mutual love for the stars and beyond.

2024 Schedule

8:30 am – 4:00 pm Doors Open for Registration & Door Prize Ticket Sales Lobby

9:30 am Welcome & Club Announcements

9:45 – 10:30am Keynote Speaker #1

  • Destination Astrophotography Chris Cashwell Main Event Room
    Sometimes, you just have to travel to get great astro photos. Chris shares all the secrets.

10:30 am Club Announcements/Break

10:45 – 11:30 am Keynote Speaker #2

  • The 1900 Solar Eclipse in North Carolina — Mr. Gayle Riggsbee Main Event Room
    On May 28, 1900, a solar eclipse passed over North America. The line of totality crossed directly over the town of Wadesboro, North Carolina. Founded in 1783 by Revolutionary War patriots, the town was a major cotton producer for global markets in the 19th century. Cotton trade faded, but in the early 20th century, the totality event of 1900 transformed Wadesboro into a hotspot for science. The era’s foremost astronomers anticipated the event and knew Wadesboro would be a prime spot to study it. Wadesboro’s location, climate, and geographical features promised scientists a clear view. Its citizens welcomed the visitors into their homes. In this STEAM lesson, discover the role historic Wadesboro played in humankind’s journey to understand our universe. National Park Service US Department of Interior

11:30 am Lunchbreak

  • Solar Viewing North Lawn weather permitting

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Table Top Talks Round #1

  • Sketching at the EyepieceChris Waldrup Room 4
  • Very Basic Stargazing for Very Basic BeginnersJeff Whisenant Room 5
    This is the perfect class for anyone who wants to enjoy the sky but who has no idea where to start. Jeff will explore simple astronomy resources on phone apps, websites, and printable information. Big words, astronomical gobbledygook, and advanced concepts will be avoided whenever possible. This class will be a permanent Table Top Talk at all Future BoBfest meetings Beginning in 2025.
  • Tactile Astronomy for the Visually and Hearing Challenged Brian Hissom Room 4
    Brian demonstrates a recently acquired program kit with astronomy models you can touch! Designed for the visually challenged, the models were first used during the 2024 total solar eclipse. Included are models of the Sun and Moon. In addition, an audio device allows folks to hear a changing tone as the Sun goes into eclipse. Astronomy for the hearing challenged will be explored.

2:15 pm – 3:15 pm Table Top Talks Round #2

  • The 10,000+ Observatory Design & Construction Sam Choate Room 4
  • To Be Announced — TBA Room 5
  • Smart Telescopes Joe Heafner Room 6
    Brian demonstrates a recently acquired program kit with astronomy models you can touch! Designed for the visually challenged, the models were first used during the 2024 total solar eclipse. Included are models of the Sun and Moon. In addition, an audio device allows folks to hear a changing tone as the Sun goes into eclipse. Astronomy for the hearing challenged will be explored.

3:30 pm Door Prize Drawings Main Event Room

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Barre Spencer Astro Photo Awards Main Event Room

4:00 pm Closing Remarks BoB Eskridge Main Event Room

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm  After BoBfest Open House for Attendees — Hosted by CVAC Members Lucile Miller Observatory

Extra Astronomy Fun!

Family Science Activities CSC Staff/Volunteers Room 1
Join us from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm for fun kid-friendly astronomy provided by CSC Staff & Volunteers friendly activities all about space!

Artistic Astronomy and Simulations — Frank Westmoreland Room 9
Ongoing from 8:30 am - 2:00 pm

8:30 am - 3:00 pm Barre Spencer Astrophotography Contest Room 7

8:30 am - 4:00 pm Vendors & Swap Tables Open a.k.a. The BoBfest Marketplace! Room 8
Are you looking for some extra astronomy items? Do you have too many 25mm Plossls? We encourage all participants to bring astronomy related items to sell or trade. Come to the BoBfest Marketplace and explore the vast universe of astronomy doo-dads, thingamajigs, and whatnots! You might just find something you cannot live without, or you might be able to sell or trade your items. We should be able to provide table space for you, but if you have a lot of stuff to move, you may want to bring your own tables. If you have any questions or plan to bring a lot of items and need tables/space, please contact us.

Food Trucks

Located on the North side of campus in the Bus Parking Lot. A Shuttle will be available to take participants from the West Wing Building to the Food Trucks.

Planetarium Shows

Catch a Planetarium Show in Catawba Science Center's Millholland Planetarium. BoBfest attendees receive 50% off their admission!

Magic Tree House: Space Mission

30  minutes

Travel with Jack and Annie, stars of the Magic Tree House® bestselling children’s book series, as they visit an observatory and beyond into space with the help of an astronomer and astronaut.

Destination Mars

32  minutes

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly to Mars? NASA-and others- have their sites set on the Red Planet. Fly through the International Space Station, where astronauts are already living and working in space, and follow the rockets and vehicles that will take humans beyond the moon and, one day, all the way to Mars!

From Earth to the Universe

30  minutes

The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths, and awe for as long as there have been people. This stunning voyage through space and time conveys, through sparkling lights and sounds, the Universe revealed to us by science. From Earth to the Universe takes the audience out to the colorful birthplaces and burial grounds of stars, and still further out beyond the Milky Way to the unimaginable immensity of myriad galaxies.

Legends of the Night Sky: Orion

30  minutes

Legends takes an imaginative look at the stories and legends about the constellation Orion, the great hunter of the winter sky, his two hunting dogs, and Scorpius, the scorpion in the Summer sky.

Extreme Planets

25  minutes

From water worlds to molten landscapes, inhabitable moons to planets with multiple moons, these exotic worlds aren't just science fiction anymore.


Sponsored by

Catawba Science Center

Cleveland County Astronomical Society

Catawba Valley Astronomy Club