Tuesday, 09/24/24
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
In-person
Latimer Hall
Room 120
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720
Formation and dissociation of hydrocarbons under interstellar conditions
Hydrocarbons of all shapes and sizes are found throughout the various stages of star- and planet formation. Recently, using radio astronomical observations, a variety of cyclic- and even polycyclic hydrocarbons have been detected in the very cold (10 K) Taurus molecular cloud. These detections challenge our understanding of the chemical formation mechanisms under these low-temperature and low-density conditions. In photon-dominated regions, on the other hand, very large Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) of 50 carbon atoms and larger are commonly detected as a class based on the characteristic mid-infrared emission bands that they emit after being electronically excited by ultraviolet and optical radiation. These large PAHs are exposed to a very strong radiation field that can alter their molecular structure and may even lead to dissociation. In this seminar, I will show how experimental studies using synchrotron and free electron laser radiation ??" in conjunction with quantum chemical computations - allow us to reveal the formation and dissociation mechanisms of interstellar (aromatic) hydrocarbons at a molecular level of detail.
Speaker: Jordy Bouwman, University of Colorado, Boulder
Website: https://events.berkeley.edu/chem/event/246689-physical-chemistry-seminar
Cost: Free
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Tuesday, September 24, 2024, 7:15 p.m. - 9 p.m. Pacific
In-person and recorded
Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society
Lindsay Wildlife Experience
1931 First Avenue
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
Speaker: Dr. Tom Greene, NASA AMES
Topic: The future Habitable Worlds Observatory.
Website: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/events/mdas/28055/
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Wednesday, 09/25/24 6:00 PM
Livestream
NASA Night Sky Network
Jupiter’s moon Europa, and what NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will investigate upon arrival in 2030
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Europa is one of the four moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo in 1610. It almost certainly harbors a salty ocean underneath a thick ice crust. This ocean has all the requirements for a habitable zone where primitive life could potentially thrive: liquid water, energy in the form of chemical potentials, and organic molecules. Although Europa Clipper isn’t a life-detection mission, it is NASA’s first detailed exploration of an ocean world with an overarching goal of searching for a habitable zone. It will also study the geology, interior, and composition of Europa.
Speaker: Dr. Bonnie Buratti
Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Y9cpKvWZ8
Website: https://astrosociety.org/get-involved/events/event/2024/09/25/nsn-webinar-jupiter-s-moon-europa-and-what-nasa-s-europa-clipper-mission-will-investigate-upon-arrival-in-2030-with-dr-bonnie-buratti/496382
Cost: Free
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Thursday, 09/26/24 3:30 PM
In-person
Physics North
UC Berkeley
Room 1
Berkeley, CA 94720
Stellar and Planet Evolution
Speaker: Elisabeth Newton, Dartmouth University
Website: https://astro.berkeley.edu/news/events/astronomy-colloquium/
Cost: Free
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Friday, 09/27/24
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
In-person
Earth and Marine Sciences Building
UC Santa Cruz
Room A340
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
What warmed early Mars?: Investigating impacts, hydrogen, and clouds
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Speaker: Kathryn Steakley
Website: https://eps.ucsc.edu/news-events/igpp-seminar/fall-2024.html
Cost: Free
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Friday, 09/27/24
01:00 PM - 07:00 PM
In-person
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
390 Ashton Ave
San Francisco, CA 94112
Educator Resource Giveaway Days at the Astronomy Society of the Pacific
FREE SCIENCE MATERIALS, GAMES, POSTERS, BOOKS, and MORE!
The ASP is opening its doors to Bay Area educators looking for FREE materials for their classrooms or other educational settings.
We have a lot of games, classroom materials, posters, books, and more all available to take away. Bring your own vehicle to transport your goodies from our office. *No deliveries or shipping available*.
Website: https://astrosociety.org/get-involved/events/event/2024/09/28/educator-resource-giveaway-days-at-the-asp-onsite/496384
Cost: Free
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Friday, 09/27/24
08:15 PM - 10:15 PM
In-person
San Jose Astronomical Association
Houge Park
3972 Twilight Drive
San Jose, CA 95124
In Town Star Party
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. The event duration is 2 hours. SJAA volunteers will share night sky views from their 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 to use facilities at Houge Park. To maintain this relationship, we must 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.
Website: https://www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/events/302905562/
Cost: Free
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Friday, 09/27/24 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.
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, 09/27/24 9PM-11PM for night observing and Saturday 09/28/24 10AM-12 Noon for solar observing
In-person
The Foothill Observatory is open again!
Foothill Observatory
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
ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
The COVID and masking policy for visiting Foothill Observatory is the same as that of Foothill College per their Health & Safety information:
1) Vaccinations are required
2) masking is strongly encouraged.
Websites: https://foothill.edu/astronomy/observatory.html
and https://pastro.org
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Friday, 09/27/2024 and Saturday 09/28/2024
07:30 PM - 10:00 PM
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.
Website: https://chabotspace.org/events/free-telescope-viewings/
Before your visit:
• Check humidity on our Weather Station: https://chabotspace.org/weather-station/
• Check cloud cover using the live view webcam of the Center: https://ops.alertcalifornia.org/cam-console/2578
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Saturday, September 28, 2024, 1 pm - 11 pm
In-person
College of San Mateo
Science Building 36, Library Building 9, and Theatre Building 3
1700 W Hillsdale Rd
San Mateo, CA 94402
Family Science & Astronomy Festival + Makerspace
CSM's Family Science & Astronomy Festival + Makerspace brings the wonders of science to our community! Future scientists-in-the-making are welcomed to campus to participate in fun makerspace activities, watch Chef Ed make comets, visit fascinating biology, chemistry, geology, math, and physics stations for hands-on demos hosted by CSM instructors and staff, attend our live keynote speaker presentation, stargaze with astronomy faculty, and more!
• Science Workshops, Planetarium Shows: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
• Keynote Lecture: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the College of San Mateo Theatre
Doors open at 7:00 pm. Lecture at 7:30 pm. Lunar Landing Sites: Past and Future
Reception: 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the Theatre Lobby
• Astronomical Observation: 9:15 pm to 11:00 pm
CSM Rooftop Observatory, CSM Science Building (Building 36)
Facilitators: Darryl Stanford and Justin Stevick
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Brian Day is the staff scientist for NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). His duties in this role include serving as SSERVI’s lead for lunar and planetary mapping and modeling. He is the science lead for NASA’s Solar System Treks family of data visualization and analysis portals. He also serves as a member of NASA’s speakers bureau, giving presentations on NASA space science and exploration to audiences of all ages. He has participated in numerous terrestrial analog studies, working in extreme environments on Earth that simulate some aspects of the Moon and Mars. He previously served as education and public outreach lead for both the LCROSS and LADEE robotic lunar missions. In 2007, he flew on NASA’s Aurigid MAC mission to examine fragments of Comet Kiess entering Earth’s upper atmosphere as a meteor shower.
Lunar Landing Sites: Past and Future
As we look back on the discoveries of the Apollo program, now more than fifty years ago, and stand on the verge of a new generation of lunar exploration through the Artemis Program, it is appropriate to reflect upon the sites chosen for lunar exploration. In this talk, we will look back at the Apollo landing sites, examine why they were chosen, and discuss what we learned from them. We will then look ahead to sites that have been identified for upcoming lunar exploration, both human and robotic. These sites each offer fascinating and compelling reasons for exploration. They will help answer key questions about the Moon and its history. Many will also facilitate a sustained human presence on the Moon. The presentation will feature data gathered from many different instruments aboard a variety of spacecraft and made available through NASA’s Moon Trek online data visualization and analysis portal. The presentation will include an overview of using the portal so that audience members can follow and even become direct participants in this exciting new era of lunar exploration.
Website: https://collegeofsanmateo.edu/familyscienceday/
Cost: Free
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Saturday, 09/28/24
09:00 AM - 02:00 PM
In-person
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
390 Ashton Ave
San Francisco, CA 94112
Educator Resource Giveaway Days at the Astronomy Society of the Pacific
FREE SCIENCE MATERIALS, GAMES, POSTERS, BOOKS, and MORE!
The ASP is opening its doors to Bay Area educators looking for FREE materials for their classrooms or other educational settings.
We have a lot of games, classroom materials, posters, books, and more all available to take away. Bring your own vehicle to transport your goodies from our office. *No deliveries or shipping available*.
Website: https://astrosociety.org/get-involved/events/event/2024/09/28/educator-resource-giveaway-days-at-the-asp-onsite/496384
Cost: Free
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Saturday, 09/28/24
09:00 PM - 11:00 PM
In-person
College of San Mateo Bldg 36
1700 W Hillsdale Rd
San Mateo, CA 94402
Jazz Under the Stars
Jazz Under the Stars is a FREE monthly public stargazing event! Occurring on the Saturday nearest the 1st quarter moon (check our Events Page), join us in building 36 on the 4th floor observatory for a night of smooth jazz, bright stars, and a lot of fun! We play our jazz from CSM's own KCSM 91.1. Founded in 1964, KCSM has grown to become one of the top 35 most listened to non-commercial stations in the US. With their help, the Astronomy department at CSM opens its observatory doors and balcony, for a night of science and fun! We operate for public viewing 8” dobsonian telescopes, prefect for viewing the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. We also have a 140mm refractor, with which we view the craters on the moon. Finally, our 11’ schmidt-cassegrain is for our deep sky needs. It can peer deep into globular clusters, and nebulae. Occasionally we even have the chance to image galaxies on our 20" telescope. Our astronomers will also be available for questions and conversation, which you wouldn’t get anywhere else! Feel free to ask us your questions about the cosmos. Don't miss out, join us at our next Jazz Under the Stars!
*Weather in the bay area is notoriously hard to predict, and often the sources we use don't get it correct. Before leaving you home, be sure to check this webpage. If we are to cancel it will be posted here at least a few hours before the start of the event.*
Website: https://collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/observatory.asp
Cost: Free
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Saturday, September 28, 2024
Sunset: 6:55 PM
In-person
Many who usually come to this event will be attending the Family Science and Astronomy Festival at the College of San Mateo listed above.
San Mateo Co. Astronomical Society
Crestview Park
1000 Crestview Drive
San Carlos, CA
Public Star Parties at 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
Website: https://smcas.net/events/star-parties/crestview-park/
