About us
Welcome to SJ Astronomy Meetup. We are an active group with a lot of events organized by the San Jose Astronomical Association. All events posted to this Meetup are open to the public but please note that joining this meetup does not automatically make you a member of SJAA. Becoming a formal member of SJAA provides members-only benefits, so we do encourage you to join. Please check out the membership benefits at https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/ to learn more and to join the club.
Also, please note that we need a profile picture for security reasons to join this group. Please consider uploading one before you send a request to join the group. Looking forward to sharing this cool hobby with all of you!
Upcoming events
37
Astro 101: Exploring Nebulae (online)
·OnlineOnlineThis event is one of several different introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. With this talk, you'll dive into nebulae, those varied fuzzies in space! In your favorite science fiction show, you may have seen a spaceship flying into a nebula, but most likely, a real nebula would look very different. They may be larger than our entire solar system, and they tell us much about the evolution of objects in the universe, past and future.
We'll take the first 15 minutes to give a short tour of the night sky using the planetarium software Stellarium. The talk will start at 7:15.
The talk will be presented by Carl Svensson. Carl is not a professional astronomer, but an avid star-gazer and astrophotographer. He joined SJAA in 2017 after receiving his first telescope (a Celestron NexStar 8SE) as a birthday gift from his wife. Since then, he's been involved with various volunteer astronomy events with SJAA, including Starry Nights and solar observing. You can see some of his astrophotos here: https://www.astrobin.com/users/csvensson/. He currently serves as the Ephemeris Editor and Vice-President as well.
Many of SJAA’s events, like this one, are public and free to attend, but if you’re enjoying what SJAA has to offer, consider becoming a paid member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/
This event is an on-line Zoom event, complementing our in-person events in Houge Park.
69 attendees
SJAA Movie Event: Small Town Universe
Houge Park, 3972 Twilight Dr, San Jose, CA, USPlease join us for a movie in lieu of our usual monthly Astronomy talk!
We will be watching "Small Town Universe" at 3:00 pm on Aug 22nd, followed by a brief "zoom talk" with Katie Dellamaggiore the film-maker behind the film.
2:30pm-3pm: Social time with snacks / set up for screening
3:00pm-4:30pm: Small Town Universe screening
4:30pm-4:40pm: Break
4:40pm-5:30pm: Zoom call with Katie Dellamaggore
5:30pm-6:00pm: Social time with snacks / reconfigure for board meeting
6:00pm: board meeting startsAbout the film:
SMALL TOWN UNIVERSE explores life in Green Bank, West Virginia - a remote community located inside the National Radio Quiet Zone. Here, the use of wireless technologies such as cell phones and Wi-Fi is heavily restricted to prevent interference with the nearby Green Bank Telescope, the world's largest fully-steerable radio telescope.The film follows four unique residents whose lives are intertwined with the town and its namesake telescope: a young woman dreaming of a career in astrophysics, a retired engineer reflecting on his legacy, a longtime local rooted in Green Bank's history, and a newcomer embracing life off-the-grid.
As federal funding hangs in the balance, their futures are inextricably tied to the survival of this scientific marvel and the Quiet Zone that makes it all possible.
About the film-maker:
Katie Dellamaggiore lives is Brooklyn, NY and has been involved in film-making for more than 20 years as a producer and director. Her previous director credits include Brooklyn Castle, The Virus Hunt, and several TV series. You can find more information about her, including an upcoming film titled "Queen's Castle", at
https://www.rescuedmedia.com/About the event:
Many of SJAA’s events, like this one, are public and free to attend, but if you’re enjoying what SJAA has to offer, consider becoming a paid member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/35 attendees
Astro 101: Outreach & Science Communication Training
·OnlineOnlineUnlike our typical Astro101 presentations that are meant to introduce you to astronomy science as well as observing techniques and equipment, this presentation is geared towards those who want to become astronomy outreach volunteers. Being a good outreach host, sharing telescope views or science activities with visitors, naturally requires some astronomy knowledge as well as equipment expertise. In addition, a third critical piece is science communication skill.
While this presentation will address all three components of being a good outreach host, it emphasizes science communication (or sci-com), as it may be the most difficult skill to absorb from typically available resources. You'll get an idea of what to expect as an outreach host and tips for speaking to your audience in an engaging and informative manner.
If you want to help promote astronomy to the public (with SJAA or elsewhere), or even if you're just toying with the idea, join us for this training presentation! In parts, this event's format will be like a workshop, so expect to share some of your thoughts and ideas. You'd definitely be doing it as an outreach volunteer, so you might as well start here where we can all practice.
The talk will be presented by Wolf Witt. Wolf is not an actual astronomer, nor has he ever played one on TV. However, he's been interested in outer space since he was a kid and still thinks that the universe is an amazing place. He's been with SJAA since 2013, and now he'll share with you some of what he's learned.
This event is an on-line Zoom event, complementing our in-person events in Houge Park.
Many of SJAA’s events, like this one, are public and free to attend, but if you’re enjoying what SJAA has to offer, consider becoming a paid member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/
7 attendees
Past events
1157
Group links
Members
8,636
