Astro 101: Know Your Cosmic Neighborhood

This event is one of several different introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. The Universe is a big place, but during this presentation, we'll focus more on what we can see in the night sky and on our own solar system. We'll talk about asterisms, constellations, how we see distant stars, galaxies and then return to our own planetary neighborhood. And when you get back home, you might notice more astronomy around you every day!

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 6:15.

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 his enthusiasm and some of what he's learned about the cosmos. Maybe you'll think it's amazing, too.

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: TBD)

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 process does not require any sensitive, personal information..

(Photo: Pleiades Open Cluster, captured from Stellarium)