University Lowbrow Astronomers

Dave Snyder

The University Lowbrow Astronomers is an astronomy club based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

There have been special events through the years, here are some of the events I participated in.

• November 15, 1999. Mercury Transit. See “Mercury Transits the Sun.”
• August 11/12, 2000. Perseid Meteor Shower. See “Wow!!” and “The Perseids and the Aurora.”
• June 8, 2004. Venus Transit. Here.
• November 8, 2006. Mercury Transit. Here.
• June 5/6, 2012. Venus Transit. Here.
• August 21, 2017. Solar Eclipse. Here.
• April 8, 2024. Solar Eclipse. Here.

Since 1997, once a year, a group of astronomy clubs (including the Lowbrows) colaborate on an astronomy event called “Astronomy at the Beach.” (Astronomy at the Beach was cancelled a couple years during the Covid-19 pandemic). Here are some reports I wrote.

• August 25 and 26, 2001. “The Fifth Annual ‘Astronomy at the Beach.’ ” Here.
• September 5 and 6, 2003. “The Seventh Annual ‘Astronomy at the Beach.’ ” Here.
• September 21 and 22, 2007. “The 11th Annual Astronomy at the Beach.” Here.

Here are reports from two trips.

• June 1, 2004. “Two Days in Manhattan.” Here.
• December 18-25, 2006. “Belize and the Magellanic Clouds.” Here.

The Lowbrows have visited various schools in the Ann Arbor. Club members talk about astronomy and telescopes with students. Here are some photos from one of these visits.

• 2009 Lawton School Visit.

The Lowbrows hold open houses at a location near Dexter, Michigan. In addition they have participated in various events in collaboration with other Ann Arbor organizations.

• The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.
• Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
• Angell Hall Planetarium.
• University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.
• Leslie Science Center.

Here are some astronomy related projects I was involved in.

• “University Lowbrow Astronomers Naked Eye Observer’s Guide.”
• History of Ann Arbor Area Observatories.
• “Amateur Astronomy: From Ann Arbor to the Universe.” Presentation given to Saturday Morning Physics at the University of Michigan, March 14, 2009. (Yasu Inugi, Charlie Nielsen, Dave Snyder, Jack Brisbin).
• Articles I wrote for the club newsletter.

Links

• About Me
• Home

Modified February 10, 2026