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
52
Astro 101: Exploring Galaxies (online)
·OnlineOnlineThis event is one of several different introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. This talk focuses on galaxies! We live in one, the Milky Way with its billions of stars, and we see countless galaxies in deep space. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and follow their own fascinating life cycles.
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.
Event photo: [)
48 attendees
Astro 101: So You Want to be an Amateur Astronomernomy
Houge Park, 3972 Twilight Dr, San Jose, CA, USThis event is one of several different introductions to astronomy offered by SJAA. This talk provides a comprehensive overview of amateur astronomy, starting simply and working its way up to introduce advanced concepts. You'll hear about star constellations, about types of sky objects and associated observing conditions, and about different observing tools. Through this talk, we hope you'll see astronomy as a scientific as well as a deeply reflective pursuit, full of joy and wonder.
Using the planetarium software Stellarium, we'll take the first 15 minutes to show a preview of the night sky as you'll see it during the subsequent star party. The talk will start at 8:15.
This talk will be presented by Kal Krishnan. Kal is an amateur astronomer whose passion for the cosmos began in the light-polluted skies of Mumbai with a pair of inexpensive binoculars from his father. In the 1990s, Kal rekindled his love for the stars when he acquired a used 8” Meade LX200 telescope, deepening his involvement from a visual observer to a dedicated astrophotographer. His mission now is to share the same sense of awe and excitement that has fueled his own journey and inspire others no matter the tools at their disposal.
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/312795171/)
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 not require any detailed personal information.
Event photo: Milky Way photograph by Kal Krishnan
17 attendees
Past events
1113
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