Wednesday, 12/13/23 8:00 PM
In-person
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell St. @ Van Ness
San Francisco, CA 94102
NASA X Nerd Nite!
Dr. Kirk David Knobelspiesse of the PACE Mission
PACE stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem and its data will help us better understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide. In addition, it will reveal how aerosols might fuel phytoplankton growth in the surface ocean. Novel uses of PACE data will benefit our economy and society. For example, it will help identify the extent and duration of harmful algal blooms. PACE will extend and expand NASA’s long-term observations of our living planet. By doing so, it will take Earth’s pulse in new ways for decades to come. Come get the details in a nutshell during this presentation!
Dr. Marcela Loria-Salazar
Marcela works at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Meteorology and was one of the first professors in Oklahoma to be hired for the study of air quality. She studies aerosols and aerosol transport using different platforms. One is with measurements, and one is with satellite retrievals. Marcela has also created applications from plume injection heights and identified ways to use them for air quality monitoring. She also assimilates satellite data to data fishing models. Through working with polar orbiting satellites, she can fill gaps created by clouds. She and her team take the retrievals and try to forecast how to get the AOD full picture by attempting to remove the cloud and create the AOD retrieval from that using polar satellites. She wants to move toward using the scenario data to have more data points and more observations.
Dr. Jeremy Werdell
Jeremy Werdell is an Oceanographer in the Ocean Ecology Laboratory (OEL) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Project Scientist for the PACE mission. Jeremy currently oversees the SeaWiFS Bio-optical Archive and Storage System (SeaBASS), NASA bio-Optical Marine Algorithm Data set (NOMAD), and OEL in-water bio-optical algorithm development efforts. His research interests extend to the on-orbit calibration of ocean color satellite instruments, the validation of remotely-sensed data products, the collection and analysis of in situ biogeochemical oceanographic measurements, and the assimilation of the above to study how the global ocean and various regional ecosystems are changing with time. When time permits, Jeremy moonlights as a teacher and student mentor (and wannabe chef). He has led several internationally attended workshops on bio-optical algorithm development and helped instruct undergraduate and graduate-level courses on ocean optics and biology.
Website: https://sf.nerdnite.com
Cost: $10 online, $15 at door
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Wednesday, 12/13/23
11:45 PM - 03:00 AM
In-person
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd
Oakland, CA 94619
Geminids Meteor Shower Viewing
Join us on our Observation Deck and be dazzled as we make our annual trip through the Geminids Meteor Shower. The Geminids, named for the constellation where the shower appears to originate, is one of the best meteor showers to catch this year. The source of the shower is Asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a small asteroid about 3.17 miles (5.10 kilometers) across. Join our expert astronomer, Gerald McKeegan, at midnight in Studio 3 for a talk about the origins of the Geminids Meteor shower.
Bring warm clothing or optional blankets, chairs or sleeping bags.
Event is weather permitting.
Website: https://chabotspace.org/calendar/geminids-meteor-shower-viewing/
Cost: $15 Adult, $7 Youth, Free for members
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Friday, 12/15/23
07:15 PM - 09:15 PM
In-person
San Jose Astronomical Association
Houge Park
3972 Twilight Drive
San Jose, CA 95124
