SJ Astronomy

*************************** This is an online event *******************************

We don't have the regular access to the clubhouse yet. But the night sky is still there, and there's still lots to learn. So we'll do this online.

***

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/

Come join us for our monthly Astronomy talk!

Topic: The Double Asteroid Redirection Test: NASA’s First Planetary Defense Mission
Speaker: Andy Rivkin

Abstract:
Asteroid impacts have profoundly shaped the history of life on Earth and have been implicated in at least one mass extinction event. Planetary defense is dedicated to predicting and preventing such disasters in the future. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was launched in November 2021 and arrived at its target, the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, on September 26, 2022. DART’s goals were to validate a planetary defense technique known as “kinetic impact”, which is changing an asteroid’s orbit by colliding a mass with it. I will present the motivation, operation, and (initial) results from the DART mission, including what we’ve learned from its spectacular final minutes and subsequent observations of Dimorphos and its parent body, the asteroid Didymos.

Bio:
Andy Rivkin is a Planetary Astronomer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Investigation Lead for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test. His research centers on near-infrared spectroscopy and spectrophotometry of asteroids, determining the distribution of water and water-bearing minerals early in solar system history. In addition to this work, he has been active in the broader Near-Earth Object community, serving as a team member on several efforts to understand and report Earth impact hazards and how to mitigate them, and as a member of a group determining the scientific benefit of a mission to the asteroid Apophis.

The San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) is proud to work with the Open Space Authority (OSA) to co-host a public star party at Rancho Canada del Oro (RCDO). This site is just 30 minutes south of downtown San Jose and features dark skies. It's dark enough to see the band of our Milky Way galaxy in the summer.

Do not bring your own telescope (binoculars are welcomed, but please no tripods). SJAA club members will set up their telescopes to help star party guests get the most knowledge and enjoyment out of the dark Starry Night sky.

In addition to traditional telescopes, the SJAA is excited to incorporate Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) into the Starry Nights Program. We will be using an automated telescope with a camera-like sensor to show live images on an iPad.

The OSA is making RCDO available for visual observing only. There are separate SJAA-sponsored astro-imaging events (see http://www.Meetup.com/SJ-astronomy).

· This is a family friendly event, and although younger children are welcome, this activity is best suited for children aged 5 years and older.

· No touching the telescopes or eyepieces. (Maybe a focus knob, if instructed by the astronomer. It’s OK to ask).

· Dress in warm layers (it gets cold at night).

· Flashlights: To help preserve everyone's night vision, if you bring a dim white flashlight, be sure to have it wrapped in red plastic, or get it wrapped at the sign-in desk.

· Registration for this event has a limit of ~70 people.

· If you cannot attend this event, kindly remove your reservation, so that those on the waiting list can fill open spots.

· If you are wait listed, please check closer to the event start time to see whether you managed to get a slot that opened up.

· Rain, heavy clouds, or thick smoke will result in cancellation of the event.

· Please check this page prior to heading to the event for latest information, such as late changes due to weather.

· No smoking and no pets.

No flash photography.

THIS ACTIVITY REQUIRES REGISTRATION.

Arrive no later than 1 hour prior to ending time as the gates may be closed to allow staff to prepare to wrap up the session. Please sign in at the OSA's front table and let them know you are here.

Only those registered will be allowed entry. Each entry registration is for one car. For example, if you have four people in a car, just one registration is required for your group.

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 1:45, 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.

You may bring your own telescope. If you have a properly filtered white light or H-alpha telescope and want to share views with others, please arrive at 1:00 or earlier, so you have time to set up before the event officially starts.

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/

[Photo: Sun image (at 304A) from NASA SDO (https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/)[masked]]

This event provides a different introduction to astronomy than our Intro to the Night Sky talks. During this hour, you'll gain an appreciation for the size and scale of the cosmos and our place within it. You'll see many examples of the beautiful objects visible in the night sky, learn something about how we see them through our telescopes and what we can deduce about them through the light they send us. And then you can make your own prediction of whether we're alone in the universe.

This talk is free of charge. Just come and enjoy the show. After the talk, you can check out telescopes that will be set up as part of our In-Town Star Party. (See In Town Star Party event on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/events/291255226/)

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 for nine years, and now he'll share with you his enthusiasm and some of what he's learned about the cosmos. Maybe you'll think it's amazing, too.

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/

During this event, we will ask all visitors to sign in, so that we can report attendance numbers to the city of San Jose, as San Jose has made Houge Park facilities available to SJAA to serve the public. The sign-in form will ask for first name, home location (city and ZIP code) and approximate age.

(Photo: M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.)

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 "[masked]".

Just before this star party, SJAA is offering an introduction-to-astronomy talk. Please check out this separate event on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/sj-astronomy/events/291276513

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.

https://www.sjaa.net
https://www.sjaa.net/learnresources/viewing-locations/#Houge_Park
https://www.sjaa.net/learnresources/etiquette
ITSP album : https://photos.app.goo.gl/FWjbWagFoXkDnLfF8

Hope to see you at the event

If you're new to astronomy and are perhaps considering getting your own telescope but are not sure where to start, maybe we can help!

This event is an on-line meeting where you can chat with representatives of SJAA as well as other new astronomy enthusiasts. We'll share general tips and answer specific questions. Our goal is to give you information, so that you can make good choices for yourself and get started in a way that leads to success and joy.

You can ask any astronomy or astronomy equipment-related question, but please understand that some questions may be beyond the scope of this session. For example, we will not be able to walk through complex telescope setup procedures. If you're having specific trouble with a telescope, we'll do our best to give you tips, but we may have to refer you to further resources.

Also, if you're looking to buy binoculars or a telescope, we will not be able to give you a specific recommendation for what to get, as there is no single right answer. We will, however, give you criteria and guidelines to consider, so you can focus your own research and make an informed choice.

We will start the session by collecting the questions you want to ask. Other than that, just bring your enthusiasm for astronomy!

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 is an online event *******************************

We don't yet have the use of the clubhouse due to COVID restrictions but the night sky is still there, and there's still lots to learn! We'll be doing our Imaging SIG meetings online until further notice.

************************************************************************************

This Month's Topic:

Pending

Please also bring along your recent images to share with the group after the main presentation!

Best,

Hy

The Imaging SIG meets roughly every month Online to discuss topics about imaging. The SIG is open to people with absolutely no experience but want to learn what it’s all about, but experienced imagers are also more than welcome, indeed, encouraged to participate.

This is the monthly business meeting of the SJAA Board of Directors. Please RSVP to receive the Google Meet link.

*************************** This is an online event *******************************

We don't have the regular access to the clubhouse yet. But the night sky is still there, and there's still lots to learn. So we'll do this online.

***

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/

Come join us for our monthly Astronomy talk!

Topic: TBA
Speaker: TBA

Abstract:
TBA

Bio:
TBA

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 1:45, 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.

You may bring your own telescope. If you have a properly filtered white light or H-alpha telescope and want to share views with others, please arrive at 1:00 or earlier, so you have time to set up before the event officially starts.

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/

[Photo: Sun image (at 304A) from NASA SDO (https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/)[masked]]