Welcome to the Official Home Page of the West Jersey Astronomical Society (additionally known as the Willingboro Astronomical Society). Our club is in its 58^th year of serving both the public and the amateur astronomers of the Delaware Valley. We have a long history of public education, star parties, interesting meetings, in-depth training and experienced leadership. We are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Click here for membership information. Members in good standing have access to the gated Barnegat Road Observing Site in the dark New Jersey Pines.

President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Starwatch Director:

Bob Lill Frank Grupico Karen Hagerman Wade Evans Suzanne Leap

Here we see the Heart Nebula (IC 1805), a large emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 7,500 light-years away in the Perseus Arm of our own Milky Way galaxy. Its distinctive heart-shaped appearance comes from vast clouds of ionized hydrogen glowing red under the intense radiation of nearby massive stars. At the nebula’s center lies Melotte 15, a cluster of young, hot stars only a few million years old. These stars produce powerful stellar winds that sculpt dramatic pillars, ridges, and dark dust lanes throughout the region. IC 1805 is a stunning example of star formation in action.

This image was captured in Acadia National Park over three nights using an ZWO ASIAIR+ and ZWO Redcat 71 with ZWO ASI2600MC camera riding a Skywatcher NEQ6 Pro mount. Guiding was done with a ZWO Redcat Uniguide and a ZWO ASI120MM-S guide camera. Integration time was 8.7 hours (174 x 3 min.). Calibration was done with Pixinsight using 60 dark, 30 flat, and 30 dark-flat subframes. FOV is 3.5 x 2.5 degrees with an image scale of 2.2 arc-seconds per pixel. Mouseover for annotations, click here for a larger version.

Click here for the previous home page image.

Click here for the 2026 officers.

Sky & Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 12 to 21, 2025.

Get the monthly Evening Sky Map.

Registration for the 2026 Winter Star Party is now open.

Click to contact the . Members are encouraged to submit their astronomical images to the webmaster for inclusion on the WAS Home Page. Be sure to include a description, date and time, as well as equipment and photo data.