NCRAL 2027 Convention

Event Schedule & Locations

Friday, May 14

Kickoff events and observing at the Milwaukee Astronomical Society observatory in New Berlin.

Saturday, May 15

Keynote talks, workshops, and convention activities at the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha.

Sunday Excursions: May 16

EAA AirVenture Museum

Explore aviation history and space galleries in Oshkosh, WI.

Yerkes Observatory

Visit the "Birthplace of Modern Astrophysics" in Lake Geneva, featuring the world's largest refracting telescope.

Featured Speakers

Full lineup to be announced Summer 2026. Featured guests include:

Dr. Michelle Thaller

NASA Communications

An astrophysicist and world-renowned science communicator, Dr. Thaller has spent decades representing NASA's scientific discoveries to the public.

Diana Hannikainen

Sky & Telescope

The Editor in Chief of Sky & Telescope, Diana is an expert in high-energy astrophysics and a dedicated advocate for the amateur astronomy community.

Dr. Emma Louden

Slooh / Yale University

President of Slooh and a PhD astrophysicist, Dr. Louden specializes in exoplanets and connecting students to the stars through digital platforms.

Celebrating 80 Years of NCRAL

2027 marks the 80th anniversary of the North Central Region of the Astronomical League. We will be honoring our shared history with a special History Walk featuring ties to the Milwaukee Astronomical Society's founding era.

Call for Artifacts: Guests are encouraged to bring unique or historic astronomical items, photos, or documents to share during our "Show and Tell" session.