Tuesday, 01/17/23
07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Livestream
San Jose Astronomical Association
Astronomy Beginner's Forum - Livestream
If you're new to astronomy and are perhaps considering getting your own telescope but are not sure where to start, maybe we can help!
This event is an on-line meeting where you can chat with representatives of SJAA as well as other new astronomy enthusiasts. We'll share general tips and answer specific questions. Our goal is to give you information, so that you can make good choices for yourself and get started in a way that leads to success and joy.
You can ask any astronomy or astronomy equipment-related question, but please understand that some questions may be beyond the scope of this session. For example, we will not be able to walk through complex telescope setup procedures. If you're having specific trouble with a telescope, we'll do our best to give you tips, but we may have to refer you to further resources.
Also, if you're looking to buy binoculars or a telescope, we will not be able to give you a specific recommendation for what to get, as there is no single right answer. We will, however, give you criteria and guidelines to consider, so you can focus your own research and make an informed choice.
We will start the session by collecting the questions you want to ask. Other than that, just bring your enthusiasm for astronomy
Register at weblink
Website: https://www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/events/290267758/
Cost: Free
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Wednesday, 01/18/23
03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
In-person
Hiller Aviation Museum
601 Skyway Rd.
San Carlos, CA 94070
Glider Discovery Day
Discover the world of flight in a special outdoor family event!
Learn the names of the different parts of the airplane, then join in the fun the help build a full-size Penguin airplane! Then, assemble a balsa wood glider and join a fun festival of flight outdoors in the museum’s Courtyard. Each child receives a glider to take home!
Website: https://www.hiller.org/event/glider-day/
Cost: Free with admission
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Wednesday, 01/18/23
07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Livestream
SETI Institute
Meet COSMIC: An Alien Hunter Instrument at the VLA - Livestream
COSMIC SETI (the Commensal Open-Source Multimode Interferometer Cluster Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is about to survey of 40 million stars for technosignatures using the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). The VLA is the world’s largest radio telescope array operating at microwave frequencies. It’s also where Jodie Foster heard an alien signal in the 1997 movie “Contact.”
COSMIC SETI is a collaboration between the SETI Institute and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which operates the VLA, to bring a state-of-the-art search for extraterrestrial intelligence to the VLA for the first time. As the VLA conducts observations with its 27 antennas, COSMIC SETI will enable SETI Institute scientists to access a copy of that data to analyze for evidence of technosignatures, signs of technology not caused by natural phenomena.
Once up and running, it is estimated that COSMIC SETI will observe about 40 million galactic star systems in two years. It will be the most comprehensive SETI observing program ever conducted in the Northern Hemisphere, with high sensitivity and a colossal target list.
To discuss the ability of COSMIC SETI to conduct this unique technosignature search, we invited two researchers involved in the project. Chenoa Tremblay, radio astronomer at the SETI Institute and Mark Ruzindana, a postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley. Together with Molly Bentley, executive Producer and Co-Host at Big Picture Science, they will discuss the potential of COSMIC SETI to detect technosignatures from such a large star system sample located “only” 900 light-years away from us.
Register at weblink to attend. This event will only be available live, and not on SETI's YouTube channel.
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seti-talks-meet-cosmic-an-alien-hunter-instrument-at-the-vla-tickets-505705327247
Cost: Free
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Thursday, 01/19/23
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
In-person
ExplOratorium
Pier 15 (Embarcadero at Green Street)
San Francisco, CA 94111
After Dark: Moon and Stars
Look up at the night sky and you might be able to track the passage of time or navigate your way home - just as observers from Earth have done throughout history. What do we miss when we pollute our sky with light and crowd it with satellites? What can we learn from the moon and the stars? Tonight, explore the allure of these celestial bodies through story, song, and science.
Website: https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-moon-stars
Cost: $19.95 General, Free for members
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Friday, 01/20/23 7:00 PM
This will be a hybrid meeting. Location details below.
For non-members if you would like to join the meeting, please send an email to president@trivalleystargazers.org asking for the meeting link
Tri-Valley Stargazers
1893 N. Vasco Rd
Unitarian Universalist Church
Livermore, CA 94551
Planet Formation from a Dynamical Perspective
Recent observational advances have allowed the discovery of thousands of exoplanets and an initial characterization of their orbital and physical parameters. As this population has grown, it is increasingly apparent that existing models of planet formation are incomplete. The Kepler/K2/TESS data have presented counterexamples to prevailing theories, including theories of hot Jupiter formation. In this talk, I will present my and others’ work towards integrating these theories of planet formation with new astronomical discoveries. Resolving these conflicts requires not only a deep understanding of the current dynamical states of benchmark systems, but also an exploration of their histories through theoretical analysis expanding on the observational data. I will explain how theoretical models can give these needed constraints and determine the most probable formation pathways of these systems. As the number of known exoplanets approaches 5000 and individual systems are being more deeply characterized, we are entering a new era of exoplanet science where it will be possible to construct a coherent theory of planet formation; as I conclude my talk, I will outline the roadmap to this understanding.
Speaker: Juliette Becker, CalTech
This event was originally listed for January 7.
Website: https://www.trivalleystargazers.org
Cost: Free
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Friday, 01/20/23 7PM
In-person
Telescope Makers Workshop
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Boulevard
Oakland, CA 94619-245
The Chabot Telescope Maker's workshop reopens! Chabot's TMW is one of only a handful of regularly scheduled telescope making workshops in the U.S., and probably the world; it meets every Friday evening throughout the year, except Memorial Day weekend. It has been in operation since December of 1930, founded by Franklin B. Wright, and is currently run by Eastbay Astronomical Society member Rich Ozer, with help from other EAS members, Dave Barosso, Barry Leska, and others. The price of admission is FREE. All you have to do is show up, buy a mirror blank and a "tool" (typically around $100 - $200 depending on the size of the mirror) and start "pushin' glass!" We supply you with instruction, the various grits you'll need to first grind, and then polish and figure your mirror, and all the testing equipment needed. With a small bit of luck, you could wind up with a telescope that costs 1/3 or 1/4 the cost of a store-bought telescope, that is yet optically superior! It does take time - depending on how much time you put in on it, and other factors, it could take a few months.. But, it's a fun project, great for kids, and at the end you get a great telescope!
Enter from the main loading dock behind the main building.
Please be prepared with proof of vaccination and a mask. These are
Chabot Rules, which we always must adhere to.
If you have a project, bring it with you so we can assess next steps.
You can also bring any other equipment or literature you may have
questions about.
For more information call or email Richard Ozer at rrichozer1@... or phone (510) 406-1914.
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Friday, 01/20/2023 9PM-11PM for night observing and Saturday 01/21/2023
10AM-12Noon for solar observing
In-person
Foothill Observatory is open again!
12345 El Monte Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Foothill Observatory Open 1st and 3rd Fridays + Saturdays
The Foothill College Astronomy Department and Peninsula Astronomical Society (PAS) have reopened public viewing programs at Foothill College Observatory on the following schedule:
· 1st and 3rd Friday of each month, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. for star gazing
· 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to noon for solar viewing
Since we are still dealing with COVID, we are adopting the following guidelines to enable safe operation of the Observatory for both our public visitors and our PAS operators. We ask that visitors please agree to complying with these guidelines before visiting the Observatory, and to direct any questions to info@pastro.org.
ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
1. Full vaccination against COVID-19 is required to visit the Foothill College campus — This is a College requirement detailed on the Foothill College COVID-19 Behavioral Expectations page.
2. Mask usage is required anytime visiting the Foothill College campus — This includes the Observatory, per the same college policy linked above in item 1.
3. The number of visitors allowed inside the Observatory is reduced — To avoid overcrowding within the limited space, please wait outside the observatory until a PAS telescope operator lets you and your group inside. Once your group is done viewing through the telescope, you will exit the Observatory so that a new group may enter.
Websites: https://foothill.edu/astronomy/observatory.html
and https://pastro.org
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Friday, 01/20/23 and Saturday, 01/21/23
07:30 PM - 10:00 PM--Free telescope viewings are back!
In-person
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd
Oakland, CA 94619
Free Telescope Viewings
Join Chabot astronomers on the Observatory Deck for a free telescope viewing! Weather permitting, this is a chance to explore stars, planets and more through Chabot’s historic telescopes. Chabot’s three large historic telescopes offer a unique way to experience the awe and wonder of the Universe. Our observatory deck offers breathtaking views 1,500 feet above the Bay. Three observatory domes house the Center’s 8-inch (Leah, 1883) and 20-inch (Rachel, 1916) refracting telescopes, along with a 36-inch reflecting telescope (Nellie, 2003).
Are the skies clear for viewing tonight? Viewing can be impacted by rain, clouds, humidity and other weather conditions. Conditions can be unique to Chabot because of its unique location in Joaquin Miller Park. Before your visit, check out the Weather Station to see the current conditions at Chabot.
https://chabotspace.org/weather-station/
Website: https://chabotspace.org/events/events-listing/
Cost: Free
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Saturday, January 21
Sunset: 5:22 PM
In-person
San Mateo Co. Astronomical Society
Crestview Park
1000 Crestview Drive
San Carlos, CA
Public Star Partiesat Crestview Park in San Carlos
SMCAS and the City of San Carlos Parks Department host a public star party at Crestview Park in San Carlos twice a month when there is a new moon. Members set up telescopes and let the public view and share their knowledge of the night sky all for Free. All ages are welcome. If you have kids interested in space or science, bring them here for a real time view of planets, nebula, star clusters, and galaxies.
If you are a Non-member and own a telescope, bring it to share! Experts are available if you need assistance or have questions about buying a telescope.
Telescope setup begins at sunset and observing starts one hour after sunset. In the event of inclement weather (rain, clouds, fog, or high winds) the star party will be cancelled. Because each astronomer makes his or her own decision about bringing their telescope, there is no official cancellation notice.
Crestview Park is located at 1000 Crestview Drive in San Carlos
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Sunday, January 22, 2023
1:30 PM to 3:30 PM PST
In-person
San Jose Astronomical Association
Houge Park
3972 Twilight Dr
San Jose, CA
Solar Observing
It’s there for us year round, lighting our days and providing energy for our lives, so maybe it’s time to give it a closer look. Join SJAA for amazing and detailed views of the Sun, and be assured that we’ll be using special telescopes that will keep your eyeballs perfectly safe.
We’ll have white-light telescopes with dense solar filters that reveal sunspots. Further, we’ll show you hydrogen-alpha telescopes that isolate a very specific color of red that reveals prominences (often thought of as solar flares) and intricate texture within the Sun’s chromosphere (its atmosphere).
We can also share with you a little about how the Sun works and how complex magnetic fields drive the number of sunspots and prominences that we’ll see on a given day.
Around 1:45, we'll have a short, informal introductory talk, and at other times, you can enjoy the views and ask questions about the Sun, telescopes, or astronomy in general.
You may bring your own telescope. If you have a properly filtered white light or H-alpha telescope and want to share views with others, please arrive at 1:00 or earlier, so you have time to set up before the event officially starts.
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Sunday, 01/22/23 1:00 PM
Livestream
Bookshop West Portal
ONLINE, via Zoom [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84960898723]
Wonderfest: Probing the Heart of Matter - Livestream
Physics has always sought to deepen our understanding of reality, particularly our concept of matter. Today, city-size machines crash together particles - at nearly the speed of light - that are a trillion times smaller than a grain of sand. The resulting insights have both theoretical and practical value: a more profound (and weird) concept of existence, and new technologies such as diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy. Wonderfest joins BookShop West Portal - online - to present physicist Dr. Suzie Sheehy in discussion of her new book The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World.
See weblink for Zoom information
Website: https://wonderfest.org/heart-of-matter/
Cost: Free
