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James Webb Telescope updates:
https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html
In the Mail and In the eMail
Table of ContentsEvents and Club News
Star Parties at Crestview Park
The complete SMCAS Newsletter in .pdf format is available from:
http://www.smcasastro.com/newsletter.html
SMCAS, Club Membership
New SMCAS astrophotography website
www.greenhawkobservatory.com
Ken Lum captures amazing inages with a 4 inch telescope.
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/678
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/679
Dear Friends:
Was out last night and took an eVscope pic of the Running Man Nebula,
NGC 1973, -5, and -7 in Orion near M 42.
Was listed as a recent Unistellar challenge object.
Very clear last night and should also be good tonight.
Ken L.
Feb 06
April 27
Final Entry for April Newsletter
Crestview Star Parties
Star Parties at Crestview Park.
Crestview 2010 Sun Chart
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Come out and bring the kids for a mind expanding look at the universe!
The City of San Carlos Department of Parks and Recreation and the San Mateo County Astronomical Society have open Star Parties twice a month. These events are held in Crestview Park, San Carlos California.
Note that inclement weather (clouds, excessive wind and showers) will cause the event to be canceled without notice.
CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS
or go to:
http://www.smcasastro.com/star-parties.html
for most recent update.
Reasons to Attend
- If you have kids interested in space or planets bring them here for a real life view of planets, nebula, star clusters and galaxies.
- If you are thinking of buying a telescope or want help using a telescope you own, come here to talk with experienced users.
- If you think you might have an interest in astronomy come and talk to experienced amateur astronomers.
Astronomers arrive to set up at around sunset. Observing starts at about one hour after sunset and continues for two to three hours.
Crestview Park is at W122 17', N37 29'
REACH FOR THE STARS AT CSM!
With its planetarium, variety of astronomy courses, top-notch faculty,
and special events such as Star Parties.
CSM partners with the San Mateo County Astronomical Society
for SMCAS meetings in the CSM planetarium.
The planetarium is currently unavailable due to covid. March 2022![]()
Astronomy Events in Our Area ( Edited for April )
Due to the covid virus many of the venues listed below are now on-line.
The Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society General Meeting will host a talk about
Presentation "The History of Lick Observatory" _ April 19, Tuesday, 6:30-8:30 pm
Lick Observatory, an important research unit of the University of California, providing state-of-the-art research facilities to astronomers from all nine UC astronomy campuses. Opened in 1888 as part of the legacy of James Lick, it is the world’s first high-altitude astronomical observatory.
Lick Observatory astronomer Dr. Paul Lynam will share with us the history of how the observatory came to be built on the summit of Mount Hamilton and some of the astronomical breakthroughs associated with Lick.
Educated in the UK, Paul received his Ph.D. in 2000 and has worked in observatories in Germany and Chile. He joined
Lick Observatory in 2011 and is a regular contributor to teaching and public outreach activities as he continues his career at Lick. He is a member of the Institute of Physics (IoP) and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). You must pre-register at:
https://tinyurl.com/5kctcb7k
for this online meeting via Zoom. Open to the public and FREE.
Dr. Lynam spoke to the PAS back in November, 2015. His talk from that time can be found on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iOl818g6OE
Ken Lum's SMCAS Event Listing
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/721
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/722
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/726
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/727
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/730
https://groups.io/g/SMCASnews/message/732
Posted 04-25-22
SLAC Physics Lecture Series at Stanford Linear Accelerator
Archive of past lectures:
https://www.youtube.com/slac
Hi All,
I'm conveying this announcement from Professor Emeritus Andrew Fraknoi of the Silicon Valley Lecture Series to SMCAS members and followers also. These events are scheduled to take place on April 27th and May 12th. They should be well worth it.
Mike R.
--
Two Invitations for You and Your Club Members
1) On Wednesday, Apr. 27th, 2022 at 7 pm (PST), Dr. Charles Lineweaver (Australian National University) will give a free, illustrated, non-technical lecture entitled:
“Cosmobiology: Recent Progress in Cosmology, Exoplanets, and the Prerequisites for Life in the Universe"
On line at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SVAstronomyLectures
[if you go to this address the evening of the talk you will see and be able to participate in the live event; we will also make a recording]
The talk is part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series (through Foothill College), now in its 22nd year.
Recent progress in cosmology – the birth and evolution of the universe as one system – and the discovery of so many planets around other stars is lending new prominence to the question “Are we alone?” Dr. Lineweaver will review this progress we are making in understanding how life fits into the bigger cosmic picture and will try to answer the question: What can life on Earth tell us about life elsewhere in the universe?
Astrobiologist, Charles Lineweaver is an honorary associate professor at the Australian National University’s Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Research School of Earth Science. His research areas include exoplanetology (the statistical analysis of exoplanets and their habitability), cosmobiology (using our new knowledge of cosmology to constrain life in the Universe) and the study of cancer. He recently completed an online video course at: arewealone.us. Dr. Lineweaver earned a BA in history from the State University of New York at Binghamton, an MA in English from Brown University, a BS is physics from Ludwig Maximillian's University in Munich, and a PhD in physics at the University of California, Berkeley in 1994. He is the son of a high school biology teacher and has lived in or traveled through 85 countries, and was a semi-professional soccer player in Germany.
The lecture is co-sponsored by:
* The Foothill College Science, Tech, Engineering & Math Division
* The SETI Institute
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
* The University of California Observatories (including Lick Observatory).
Past lectures in the series can also be found on YouTube at: http://youtube.com/svastronomylectures and as audio podcasts at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1805595
*********************
2) Everyone is cordially invited, by Zoom or in person, to the 2022 Frank Drake Award Ceremony, May 12th:
The 2022 Drake award will be presented by the SETI Institute to Dr. Shelley Wright (University of California, San Diego,) a pioneer in SETI-related instrument development and research. Wright was a critical member of the team that developed one of the most advanced optical SETI experiments (searching for laser pulses from advanced civilizations) and was the Principal Investigator of the first near-infrared SETI instrument and survey.
The Drake Award is named for Dr. Frank Drake, the first president of the SETI Institute’s Board of Trustees and creator of the so-called ‘Drake Equation.’ Drake is considered the father of scientific SETI research, having conducted the first SETI experiment, Project Ozma, at the Green Bank Radio Observatory in 1960. His “Drake Equation” (estimating the number of communicating civilizations in our Galaxy) is recognized as a roadmap for the field of Astrobiology. Previous winners of the award include Nobel Laureate Charles Townes, Kepler mission founder William Borucki, astrobiologist Victoria Meadows, and Frank Drake himself.
The presentation will take place on May 12, 2022, at an evening public event held at SRI International in Menlo Park, CA. The ceremonies will also be livestreamed via Zoom for those unable to attend in person. Additional honorees will include recipients of the SETI Forward Award, which encourages future scientists to pursue careers in the search for life in the universe.
For more information and ticket reservations go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-drake-award-tickets-304864908147
*******
By the way, April 12th is a special “giving day,” when many people come together to support the SETI Institute and its quest to understand and find life in the universe. If you’d like to make a contribution, go to: www.seti.org/givingday-2022
Copyright © 2022 Foothill Astronomy, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.
Our mailing address is:
Foothill Astronomy
12345 S El Monte Rd
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022-4504
Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures
Home:
https://foothill.edu/astronomy/index.php
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SVAstronomyLectures
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UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org
Lick Observatory:Lick Observatory Summer 2022 Visitors Program:
https://mailchi.mp/ucolick.org/1-899130?e=bcf94bce96
Posted April 11, 2022
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Plan to arrive after noon and before 3 PM for best access to Public Areas.
This is an all day trip climbing to 4200 feet on the historic
Mount Hamilton Road, Route 130, Alum Rock off of 101 or 680.
Please don't pass bicyclists on the blind curves.
Visiting
Gift Shop
The Gift Shop is your best contact for current visitors progam status.Visitor Center & Main Building
12:00 noon - 5:00 pm
Shane Telescope Gallery
Every Day: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Visitor's page
The APF Telescope is now doing science.
What this means to you (all) is that the dome and telescope can move at any
time without warning. Often we are doing tests during the day so please don't
enter the building unless you have a good reason to be inside.
Summer Visitors Program
Guided tours
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From Eyeballs to Electrons is the first online exhibit from the Lick
Observatory Historical Collections Project.
The exhibit draws on artifacts and images from Lick's collections
to illustrate the evolution of light detection in astronomy,
with special attention to Lick Observatory's role.
Part One begins with astronomy's first detector, the human eye,
and ends with photography's long reign as the principal means for
recording starlight.
http://collections.ucolick.org/exhibits_on_line/E2E.1/
The Historical Collections Project is a work in progress. It was
created to preserve and make accessible the observatory's historical
holdings through cataloging, online databases, and exhibits.
Please visit the Project website at:
http://collections.ucolick.org/archives_on_line/
Lick Observatory, telescopes and visitors program.
Technical talk given to the Peninsula Astronomical Society.
https://youtu.be/WB2q1lpQc8w
Posted January 2022
UCO astronomers prove the existence of
Black Holes:
https://www.keckobservatory.org/nobel-prize-ghez/
Posted November 25, 2020
UCO, University of California Observatories
U Tube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GYJClPPnW-SoreLysNTAw
Posted Oct 15, 2020
A new era for Lick Observatory's Twin Astrograph
Posted February 2020
The Apollo Cube Reflectors and Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory on 'Facebook'
posted November 11, 2014
Mount Hamilton Wildflower Collection
California Condors visit Lick Observatory
Music of the Spheres, 2001 program.
About Adaptive Optics
Adaptive Optics on U Tube
For those of you with an interest in Java Programs and/or
extra-solar planet search see:
http://oklo.org
This is a forum run by students and instructors at Lick Observatory
concerning the reduction of extra-solar radial velocity data.
Update at: http://www.oklo.org/
Super Planet Crash, The Game (This link updated February 24, 2022)
Reference http://oklo.org/
Keck Observatory Science Talks
http://www.keckobservatory.org/events/
Exploratorium
Disney Museum in the San Francisco Presidio
California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park
The Tech Museum downtown San Jose
Peninsula Astronomical Society
PAS membership information
OTHER CLUBS EVENTS For regularly-updated information on other astronomical organizations and events
we refer you to the website of the Astronomical Association of Northern California:
https://sites.google.com/site/aancsite/home
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
ASP Website
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey,
Public Programs:
http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar/
Computer History Museum
JPL on_line
Alcoat Newsletter, Webmaster's Links