Monday, 10/02/23

07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
In-person

California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Dr.
San Francisco, CA 94118

Mapping Cosmic Magnetism in the Space Between the Stars

The Universe is magnetic. From stars to galaxies to intergalactic space, magnetic fields thread the cosmos. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, hosts a magnetic field that helps to sculpt the interstellar medium: the “stuff between the stars” out of which new stars are born, and into which some old stars explode. Join us on a tour of magnetism in the Milky Way galaxy and beyond, and learn how we measure magnetic fields in interstellar space.

Speaker: Susan Clark, Stanford University

Website: https://www.calacademy.org/events/benjamin-dean-astronomy-lectures/mapping-cosmic-magnetism-in-the-space-between-the-stars

Cost:  $15 General, $12 Members & Seniors

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Friday, 10/06/23  8:00 PM
In-person 

San Mateo Co. Astronomical Society
Room 109
College of San Mateo Bldg 36
1700 W Hillsdale Rd
San Mateo, CA 94402

Studying Exoplanets with The James Webb Space Telescope

he James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful and complex astronomical space observatory ever built. It launched in December 2021 into orbit in the Sun – Earth system. The large 6.5-m diameter JWST primary mirror and its infrared instruments allow it to see some of the very first luminous objects that formed in the Universe shortly after the Big Bang. Other major science themes of JWST encompass studying the assembly of galaxies, the birth of stars and planetary systems, and the origins of life. JWST is the premier astrophysics space observatory for NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), with an expected 20+ year mission lifetime. It will augment the Hubble Space Telescope, which primarily works at visible and ultraviolet light wavelengths. Many scientists will use JWST to make discoveries that we have not yet imagined!

In this talk Dr Greene will illustrate how the JWST is being used to discover and characterize exoplanets in our galaxy, and present some of the exciting findings to date.

Website: https://nebula.wsimg.com/61ad2eeff65f7075293139692d753c06?AccessKeyId=DEEA8EDAD4DCF5083531&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

and

http://www.smcasastro.com/meetings.html

Cost:  Free

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Friday, October 6, 2023 
7:30 PM to 9:30 PM PDT

In Town Star Party (ITSP)
San Jose Astronomical Association
Houge Park 
3972 Twilight Dr 
San Jose, CA

Details
Come join San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) for an evening of stargazing.

Event details:

• Events are held at the parking lot of our headquarters, Houge Park San Jose. Event duration is 2hrs. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their personal telescopes.
• Please refrain from bringing your own telescopes (Binoculars are welcome). If you like to be a volunteer with or without a telescope please email at "itsp@sjaa.net".
• SJAA as an all volunteer-nonprofit org depends on the City of San Jose for the use of facilities at Houge Park. To maintain this relationship we need to provide facility use data to the city. Therefore, we ask you to sign-in (no traceable personal data collected) when you arrive at the event.
• Please keep a distance from the telescopes until event start time. Our volunteers need a distraction-free environment to set up. Parents are required to keep children at arm's length during this event. Please respect the expensive gear our volunteers bring to these events and help us maintain a safe setting.

Website:  https://www.sjaa.net/events/monthly-star-parties/

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Friday, 10/06/23  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 richozer1@... or phone (510) 406-1914.

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Friday, 10/06/2023 9PM-11PM for night observing and Saturday 10/07/2023
10AM-12 Noon for solar observing
In-person

Foothill Observatory is open again!
12345 El Monte Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022

Foothill Observatory now Open EVERY clear Friday night and Saturday morning

The Foothill College Astronomy Department and Peninsula Astronomical Society (PAS) have reopened public viewing programs at Foothill College Observatory on:

·       Every clear Friday night from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. for star gazing

·       Every clear Saturday morning 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@....

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. So bring your vaccination certificate if possible.

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, 10/06/23 and Saturday, 10/07/23
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/

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Sunday, 10/08/23
02:00 PM - 04:00 PM
In-person

San Jose Astronomical Association
Houge Park
3972 Twilight Drive
San Jose, CA 95124

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 2:15, 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.

Website: https://www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/events/292036089/

Cost:  Free